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The Significance of the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Practice over the Structure Retrofits to Sustain Indoor Thermal Comfort

Author

Listed:
  • Aiman Albatayneh

    (School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, German Jordanian University, P.O. Box 35247, Amman 11180, Jordan)

  • Mustafa Jaradat

    (School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, German Jordanian University, P.O. Box 35247, Amman 11180, Jordan)

  • Mhd Bashar AlKhatib

    (School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, German Jordanian University, P.O. Box 35247, Amman 11180, Jordan)

  • Ramez Abdallah

    (Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus 00970, Palestine)

  • Adel Juaidi

    (Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus 00970, Palestine)

  • Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro

    (Department of Engineering, ceiA3, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain)

Abstract

Any building’s design should sustain thermal comfort for occupants and promote less energy usage during its lifetime using accurate building retrofits to convert existing buildings into low-energy buildings so that the heating and cooling loads can be minimized. Regarding the methodology adopted in this research, an energy model of an educational building located at the German Jordanian University in Jordan was constructed utilizing DesignBuilder computer software. In addition, it was calibrated utilizing real energy consumption data for a 12-month simulation of energy performance. Subsequently, a computerized evaluation of the roles of building envelope retrofits or the adaptive thermal comfort limits in the reduction of the overall building energy consumption was analyzed. The results of the study show that the current building’s external wall insulation, roof insulation, glazing, windows, and external shading devices are relatively energy-efficient but with high cost, resulting in significant financial losses, even though they achieved noticeable energy savings. For instance, equipping the building’s ventilation system with an economizer culminated in the highest financial profit, contributing to an annual energy savings of 155 MWh. On the other hand, in an occupant-centered approach, applying the adaptive thermal comfort model in wider ranges by adding 1 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C to the existing operating temperatures would save a significant amount of energy with the least cost (while maintaining indoor thermal comfort), taking over any retrofit option. Using different adaptive thermal comfort scenarios (1 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C) led to significant savings of around 5%, 12%, and 21%, respectively. However, using different retrofits techniques proved to be costly, with minimum energy savings compared to the adaptive approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Aiman Albatayneh & Mustafa Jaradat & Mhd Bashar AlKhatib & Ramez Abdallah & Adel Juaidi & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2021. "The Significance of the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Practice over the Structure Retrofits to Sustain Indoor Thermal Comfort," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:10:p:2946-:d:558025
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Raúl Castaño-Rosa & Carlos E. Rodríguez-Jiménez & Carlos Rubio-Bellido, 2018. "Adaptive Thermal Comfort Potential in Mediterranean Office Buildings: A Case Study of Torre Sevilla," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Ren, Zhengen & Chen, Dong, 2018. "Modelling study of the impact of thermal comfort criteria on housing energy use in Australia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 152-166.
    3. Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco & Montoya, Francisco G. & Sabio-Ortega, Andrés & García-Cruz, Amós, 2015. "Review of bioclimatic architecture strategies for achieving thermal comfort," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 736-755.
    4. Yang, Liu & Yan, Haiyan & Lam, Joseph C., 2014. "Thermal comfort and building energy consumption implications – A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-173.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Aiman Albatayneh & Mohammed N. Assaf & Renad Albadaineh & Adel Juaidi & Ramez Abdallah & Alberto Zabalo & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2022. "Reducing the Operating Energy of Buildings in Arid Climates through an Adaptive Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-18, October.
    2. Wang, Hao & Chen, Xiwen & Vital, Natan & Duffy, Edward & Razi, Abolfazl, 2024. "Energy optimization for HVAC systems in multi-VAV open offices: A deep reinforcement learning approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    3. Jihan Muhaidat & Aiman Albatayneh & Mohammed N. Assaf & Adel Juaidi & Ramez Abdallah & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2021. "The Significance of Occupants’ Interaction with Their Environment on Reducing Cooling Loads and Dermatological Distresses in East Mediterranean Climates," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Aiman Albatayneh & Adel Juaidi & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2023. "The Negative Impact of Electrical Energy Subsidies on the Energy Consumption—Case Study from Jordan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-17, January.
    5. Alberto-Jesus Perea-Moreno & Quetzalcoatl Hernandez-Escobedo, 2021. "The Sustainable City: Advances in Renewable Energy and Energy Saving Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-3, December.
    6. Piotr Michalak, 2022. "Thermal—Airflow Coupling in Hourly Energy Simulation of a Building with Natural Stack Ventilation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Aiman Albatayneh & Renad Albadaineh & Adel Juaidi & Ramez Abdallah & Alberto Zabalo & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2022. "Enhancing the Energy Efficiency of Buildings by Shading with PV Panels in Semi-Arid Climate Zone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-23, December.

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