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Bioclimatic Design Overview
Published in Kyoung Hee Kim, Microalgae Building Enclosures, 2022
Depending on climatic regions, the priorities of bioclimatic design strategies vary. For hot climates, bioclimatic design focuses on the control of solar gains through the building skin. Energy stored in the building enclosures is reclaimed through recycling or heat sink mechanisms. Heat disposal could be coupled with ground, air, and water used as a heat sink or a heat exchanger using ventilative cooling or evaporative cooling techniques. The area of microalgae enclosures can be increased to absorb solar radiation and minimize overheating problems inside the building. Additional techniques could be integrated with the microalgae area to further control excessive solar stress using photovoltaic (PV) cells to filter light while reducing solar radiation and producing electricity. Geometric intervention such as self-shading can avert direct solar radiation. Surface treatments such as textured or cool surface coating reduce solar gain by reflecting the majority of solar radiation.
Electric End Uses
Published in J. Lawrence, P.E. Vogt, Electricity Pricing, 2017
The energy utilization of a base use type of load device can be estimated fairly accurately by first determining the hours of expected operation and then by multiplying these hours by the device’s nameplate rating in terms of kW. For example, a 1,600 watt microwave oven that is operated for 20 minutes each day on average would consume approximately 195 kWh per year. An estimation of the energy utilization of seasonal use devices is much more complex. Location is very important because of geographical differences in heating and cooling DDs. The thermal characteristics of the building structure is another key element. The orientation of the building, degree of glass usage, color of walls and roof, etc. all have a bearing on the solar gain. In addition, the operation of auxiliary equipment such as fans and pumps must be analyzed in order to determine the entire energy use of the HVAC equipment. Detailed computer models have been developed which provide reasonable estimates of building energy use based on a wide variety of input variables.
The Importance of Energy Efficiency
Published in Frank Jackson, Dilwyn Jenkins, Renewable Energy Systems, 2013
Manufacturers’ information contains details of R- or U-values and airinfiltration rates. In the US the energy performance of fenestration products (doors, windows, skylights etc.) is rated and certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council. In the UK, the British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) uses rating levels with the highest being ‘A’ and with ‘C’ being the minimum recommended for an eco-home. Solar gain – the heat energy from the sun that is gained inside a building (expressed as a ‘G’ value on BFRC associated marketing labels) – is another issue for windows. Ideally this is maximised in winter and minimised in summer, otherwise it can cause overheating. Solar gain depends to a great measure on building location and orientation. If it’s likely to be a major issue this should be discussed with your window supplier or installer, flagging up the particular conditions for your property, or specific windows in a given building. The alternative is to consider options for shading and even shutters at certain times of year.
Light transmittance characterization and energy-saving analysis of a new selective coating for in situ window retrofit
Published in Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 2019
With recent advances in glazing technology, manufacturers can control how glazing behaves in the different portions of the spectrum (Apte and Arasteh 2006; Armstrong et al. 2008). Coatings may control the passage of long-wave solar radiation through transmission and/or reflection. In the past, coatings on windows that reduced the solar gain also reduced the visible transmittance and were hardly accepted by occupants. However, new high-performance tinted glass and low solar-gain (or low-E) coatings make it possible to reduce the solar heat gain with little to no reduction in the visible transmittance (Padiyath and Seth 2007; Jitka 2009; Chunying et al. 2015; Mainini et al. 2015).
Energy efficiency and supplement interior comfort with passive solar heating in Saharan climate
Published in Advances in Building Energy Research, 2020
Mohamed Kamal Cherier, Sidi Mohammed El Amine Bekkouche, Tayeb Benouaz, Sabrina Belaid, Maamar Hamdani, Noceir Benamrane
The choice of a building heating system is a key element for ensuring its economic and ecological functioning. Solar gain heats a building through an opening can be exploited as an aspect of passive building design that focuses on maximizing the use of heat energy from solar radiation, it is considered as an effective form of passive heating, predominated by a short-wave infrared radiation which is able to pass through glazing and then heats the internal spaces. Accordingly, the building orientation should be selected in the goal to maximize winter solar gain. Passive heating can provide a stable internal temperature despite its fluctuations through the same day. The control of the energetic consumption is the main priority in thermal building field. This step requires knowledge on the energy performance of the envelope of buildings and use of assessment methods (Lajimi & Boukadida, 2015). The alveolar structure is equivalent to a layer of polystyrene having a thickness which can, therefore, be an additional support for passive heating. Nayak, Bansal, and Sodha (1983) indicated that the average heat flux reaches its maximal value into the living space for a Trombe wall with natural circulation. Piotrowski, Stroy, and Olenets (2013) presented numerical results through developed mathematical models of heat transfer in the steady state whereas; several passive solar heating systems have been investigated. In the winter season, it is essential to intensify the convectional processes of the heat exchange near a surface of the massive wall. The effectiveness of this passive strategy can be qualified as a new bioclimatic analysis tool for any composite climate zone (Lajimi & Boukadida, 2015). In Saharan climate, the south facing tilted buildings are preferable, since they can yield the largest solar gain in the heating season and the smallest in summer.
Design, fabrication and computational simulation of a bio-kinetic façade inspired by the mechanism of the Lupinus Succulentus plant for daylight and energy efficiency
Published in Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 2022
Elmira Anzaniyan, Matin Alaghmandan, Ayda Montaser Koohsari
For the past few decades, there is increasing interest among architects and engineers in kinetic facades that adapt to the changing climatic conditions and building occupant needs (Sharaidin and Salim 2012), since Thermal and lighting performance in buildings depend on their facade characteristics, and are important factors to achieve environmental sustainability (Heidari and Montaser Koohsari 2022). To that end, facades are responsive to different design scenarios and functional performances that should be considered during the design stage of a building façade in general (Roetzel et al. 2021).Day lighting vs artificial lighting: The Sun influences indoor illuminance. therefore, a proper combination of daylight with artificial lighting minimizes electrical energy consumption. Up to 20% of the overall building energy load belongs to artificial lightings and its combination with daylight. Therefore, utilizing renewable sources could save 20%, in overall energy consumption. Besides, permitting entrance of daylight along with controlling it reduces the overall energy consumption and provides visual comfort for occupants (Bhusal et al. 2010; Galasiu et al. 2007; Roetzel et al. 2021).View out: Many different characteristics influence view clarity (e.g., daylight, glare, privacy, etc.). It is important to consider the temporal (i.e., duration and frequency) and compositional (i.e., level of obstruction caused by the shading systems) changes in view clarity (Betti et al. 2022). Three variables, including: content, access and clarity are important for view quality and interrelated (Betti et al. 2022). As a result, the window view is an important element of architecture, since it affects human health and well-being (Betti et al. 2022).Solar gain control: Christoffersen and wienold reported that the effective parameters in controlling solar gain in the building façade are: height, size, shape of the windows, angle, and shape of the shading. (Christoffersen and Wienold 2006)Overheating: The glazing part of building requires more attention due to the heat transmission through windows which can be improved by shading the windows during Summer (Roetzel et al. 2021).Noise: Acoustic insulation is another fundamental role of a building façade that is subjected to outdoor noise caused by temporal variabilities (Roetzel et al. 2021).