© 2020 IIETA. This article is published by IIETA and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
OPEN ACCESS
The effective utilization of natural ventilation in heritage buildings could save a significant rate of electrical energy, as the airflow pattern affects interior comfort conditions; achieving users’ thermal comfort counts as an added value. This study aims to promote an approach in the form of a design strategy for a developed optimal annual operating schedule for heritage buildings, targeting the best operating pattern/s for each month. The study was carried out for a typical heritage building in the central district of Alexandria city (a typical Mediterranean Basin city), Egypt, for improving energy efficiency while achieving users’ thermal comfort. The paper adopted a simulation methodology for conducting energy and thermal comfort analyses using DesignBuilder simulation software. The approach was applied to a south-oriented room of the selected residential heritage building, which is the most affected orientation in the temperate-humid (slightly warmer) climate. The developed operating patterns included closed and opened windows, controlled natural ventilation, and HVAC system for cooling and heating with different temperature setpoints. The results showed that using the developed optimal annual operating schedule can save up to 47% of the total cooling and heating electrical energy annually, while achiev- ing 365 thermally comfortable days a year, including 177 days when only natural ventilation operating patterns are used. The study revealed the importance of considering the optimal operating patterns schedule as an approach to improve the environmental performance of heritage buildings. Also, the optimal annual operating schedule resulted in an adjusted base-case that can be used for evaluating the retrofitting scenarios for south-oriented, energy-efficient heritage buildings in temperate-humid climate.
energy efficiency, heritage buildings, natural ventilation, thermal comfort
[1] Goal 11:Sustainable cities and communities, United Nations Development Programme, online. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-11-sustainable-cities-and-communities.html. Accessed on: 27 June 2020.
[2] Green buildings must do more in fixing climate emergency, online, www.eco-business.com/opinion/green-buildings-must-do-more-in-fixing-climate-emergency/. Accessed on: 12 July 2020.
[3] Egypt Vision 2030, Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, online, http://mcit.gov.eg/Publication/Publication_Summary/1020/. Accessed on: 16 July 2020.
[4] Zhou, C., Wang, Z., Chen, Q., Jiang, Y. & Pei, J., Design optimization and field demonstration of natural ventilation for high-rise residential buildings. Energy and Buildings, 82, pp. 457–465, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.06.036
[5] Exner, D., Larcher, M., Belleri, A., Troi, A. & Haas, F., The ‘ Waaghaus ’ of Bolzano Energy efficiency, hygrothermal risk and ventilation strategy. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings, pp. 135–144, 2018.
[6] Taher, A.K., Prizeman O., Gomaa, B. & Lannon, S., Case study assessment for natural ventilation performance of heritage buildings in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria (Egypt). IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 609(3), 2019. doi:10.1088/1757-899X/609/3/032012.
[7] Thravalou, S., Philokyprou, M. & Michael, A., Natural ventilation performance of heritage buildings in the Mediterranean climate, The case of a two-storey urban traditional dwelling in Nicosia. Proceedings of 9Th Windsor Conference: Making Comfort Relevant, pp. 328–339, 2016.
[8] Nunes de Freitas, P. & Guedes, M.C., The use of windows as environmental control in‘Baixa Pombalina’s’ heritage buildings. Renewable Energy, 73, pp. 92–98, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2014.08.029.
[9] Dabaieh, M., Wanas, O., Hegazy, M.A. & Johansson, E., Reducing cooling demands in a hot dry climate: A simulation study for non-insulated passive cool roof thermal performance in residential buildings. Energy and Buildings, 89, pp. 142–152, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.12.034.
[10] Fathy, H., Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture, United Nations University Press, 2009.
[11] American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Standard-55: thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy, 7, 2017.
[12] American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Standard 62.1-2016: Ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality, 2016.