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A fresh (air) look at ventilation for COVID-19: Estimating the global energy savings potential of coupling natural ventilation with novel radiant cooling strategies

Author

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  • Aviv, Dorit
  • Chen, Kian Wee
  • Teitelbaum, Eric
  • Sheppard, Denon
  • Pantelic, Jovan
  • Rysanek, Adam
  • Meggers, Forrest

Abstract

Radiant cooling-assisted natural ventilation is an innovative technical approach that combines new radiant cooling technology with natural ventilation to increase fresh air delivery into buildings year-round with minimal energy cost and improvment of air quality. Currently, the standard paradigm for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is based on central air systems that tie the delivery of heating and cooling to the delivery of fresh air. To prevent heat loss, the delivery of fresh air must be tightly controlled and is often limited through recirculation of already heated or cooled air. Buildings are designed with airtight envelopes, which do not allow for natural ventilation, and depend on energy-intensive central-air systems. As closed environments, buildings have become sites of rapid COVID-19 transmission. In this research, we demonstrate the energy cost of increasing outdoor air supply with standard systems per COVID-19 recommendations and introduce an alternative HVAC paradigm that maximizes the decoupling of ventilation and thermal control. We first consider a novel analysis of the energy costs of increasing the amount of conditioned fresh air using standard HVAC systems to address COVID-19 concerns. We then present an alternative that includes a novel membrane-assisted radiant system we have studied for cooling in humid climates, in place of an air conditioning system. The proposed system can work in conjunction with natural ventilation and thus decreases the risk of indoor spread of infectious diseases and significantly lowers energy consumption in buildings. Our results for modeling HVAC energy in different climates show that increasing outdoor air in standard systems can double cooling costs, while increasing natural ventilation with radiant systems can halve costs. More specifically, it is possible to add up to 100 days’ worth of natural ventilation while saving energy when coupling natural ventilation and radiant systems. This combination decreases energy costs by 10–45% in 60 major cities globally, while increasing fresh air intake.

Suggested Citation

  • Aviv, Dorit & Chen, Kian Wee & Teitelbaum, Eric & Sheppard, Denon & Pantelic, Jovan & Rysanek, Adam & Meggers, Forrest, 2021. "A fresh (air) look at ventilation for COVID-19: Estimating the global energy savings potential of coupling natural ventilation with novel radiant cooling strategies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:292:y:2021:i:c:s0306261921003421
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116848
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Gu, Jiaan & Wu, Huijun & Liu, Jia & Ding, Yujie & Liu, Yanchen & Huang, Gongsheng & Xu, Xinhua, 2024. "A comprehensive review of high-transmittance low-conductivity material-assisted radiant cooling air conditioning: Materials, mechanisms, and application perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).
    3. Amit Kant Kaushik & Mohammed Arif & Matt M. G. Syal & Muhammad Qasim Rana & Olugbenga Timo Oladinrin & Ahlam Ammar Sharif & Ala’a Saleh Alshdiefat, 2022. "Effect of Indoor Environment on Occupant Air Comfort and Productivity in Office Buildings: A Response Surface Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-24, November.
    4. Rengin Aslanoğlu & Begüm Ulusoy & Jan K. Kazak, 2024. "Air Quality of Private Interiors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Dormitory Interiors as Shared Spaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-13, January.
    5. Costa, Vinicius B.F. & Pereira, Lígia C. & Andrade, Jorge V.B. & Bonatto, Benedito D., 2022. "Future assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the electricity market based on a stochastic socioeconomic model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Carlos C. Duarte & Nuno D. Cortiços, 2022. "The Energy Efficiency Post-COVID-19 in China’s Office Buildings," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-60, March.
    7. Pouranian, Fatemeh & Akbari, Habibollah & Hosseinalipour, S.M., 2021. "Performance assessment of solar chimney coupled with earth-to-air heat exchanger: A passive alternative for an indoor swimming pool ventilation in hot-arid climate," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    8. Moghadam, Talie T. & Ochoa Morales, Carlos E. & Lopez Zambrano, Maria J. & Bruton, Ken & O'Sullivan, Dominic T.J., 2023. "Energy efficient ventilation and indoor air quality in the context of COVID-19 - A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    9. Shuailing, Liu & Guoyuan, Ma & Xiaoya, Jia & Shuxue, Xu & Guoqiang, Wu & Yumei, Zhang, 2023. "The thermal performance and applicability analysis of the composite ventilation system with heat recovery in ultra-low energy buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    10. Wang, Huan & Liang, Chenjiyu & Wang, Guijin & Li, Xianting, 2024. "Energy-saving potential of fresh air management using camera-based indoor occupancy positioning system in public open space," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    11. Diana D’Agostino & Federico Minelli & Francesco Minichiello & Maddalena Musella, 2024. "Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Office Buildings in the Post-Pandemic Era—Impact on Energy Consumption and Costs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-23, February.
    12. Diana D’Agostino & Martina Di Mascolo & Federico Minelli & Francesco Minichiello, 2024. "A New Tailored Approach to Calculate the Optimal Number of Outdoor Air Changes in School Building HVAC Systems in the Post-COVID-19 Era," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-36, June.

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