ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IEQ AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN UAE UNIVERSITY BUILDING: IMPACT OF. Analysis of the relationship between IEQ and energy consumption in UAE University Building: Impact of thermal and lighting comfort on energy use", hereby solemnly declare that this is the original research work done by me under the supervision of dr.
Introduction
- Overview
- Statement of the Problem
- Research Questions
- Research Objectives
- Scoop and Limitations
- Summary of Chapters
In addition, diseases such as the Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have also pushed people to spend more time indoors, further increasing the focus on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of the buildings. Evaluating the IEQ of the case study building and student satisfaction with the IEQ of the classrooms.
Literature Review
Climate Change and COVID-19 Pandemic
The figure shows that people spend 20-30% of their time from 7am to 5pm in schools and public buildings, demonstrating the importance of providing a quality indoor environment in these places. In addition, the figures show that people spend most of their time in homes during the day.
Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)
- International and National Level of IEQ
The best known are those associated with poor IAQ such as lung cancer, respiratory syndrome, legionnaires. A UK study showed that an optimal IEQ could increase productivity by around 20%.
IEQ-Related Terms and Aspects
- Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Building Related Illness (BRI)
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
- Thermal Environment
- Acoustic Comfort
- Lighting Comfort
It is known that thermal comfort is one of the most critical factors that can affect passenger productivity. The quality of the indoor thermal environment in educational buildings is directly related to the health and productivity of students (Ali & Al-Hashlamun, 2019).
IEQ-Related Terms and Aspects
Interviews - Residents' perception of the indoor environment and the level of comfort they feel. Collecting data about certain things, such as overall percentage satisfaction with the indoor environment.
IEQ Issues in Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs)
- ESTIDAMA
- LEED
- WELL Standards
- ASHRAE
- BREEAM
Literature review - Gathering information on the different parameters of the indoor environment (thermal, acoustic, visual, etc.). Here is a brief description of some of the rating systems used in the UAE.
Standards Based on the Previous GBRSs
Demonstrate that the internal ambient noise level in the space to be occupied does not exceed 50. The CO2 levels are within the comfort and safe range, based on the WELL Building Standard recommendations (Kim et al., 2020).
Summary of Chapter
Methodology
Overview of Research Methodology
Overview of the Research and the Selected Methods
- Survey Methodology
- Monitoring Experiments Methodology
- Simulation Methodology
This data is then compared to the GBRS to get an overall picture of IEQ in the selected classrooms. Before choosing a survey form or writing one, try to think about the main reason for conducting the survey. Survey questionnaire design: What are the groups of questions and how many parts should the questionnaire have, what types of questions to ask and what to avoid, and how to organize the entire questionnaire.
In monitoring experiments, the research objective should define a case study building (or a specific sample to be analyzed) and then choose appropriate ways to conduct the field study, for example, placing sensors in the case study to collect measurements and values that may be useful for the purpose of the study. People unfamiliar with the research field can gain a clearer understanding of the phenomenon through close observation and study of the case study.
Data Gathering
- Survey Study
- Monitoring Experiments Study
- Simulation Study
But generally the building is operated according to its normal schedule, so all the systems such as the HVAC system operate based on the everyday schedule of the building. It also allows the user to get a visualization of the building (https://designbuilder.co.uk/software/for-architects). These models show the difference in energy consumption between the original state of the building and the other proposed situations or improvements.
All the scenarios were built to compare the before and after conditions of the building to determine the impact on the total energy consumption. Scenario A (Internal target temperature change): As a result of the monitoring experiments, most of the classrooms have a very low temperature (below comfort level – below 24 oC).
Case Study Building
Create lighting zoning (Control for each row of fixtures). Current lighting control divided into 2 zones). Areas where daylight can reach will require less artificial lighting during the day (9 am and 12 pm). In 2020, the first half of the year was offline classes (Face-to-Face), and the other half was online classes due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And since all other systems, such as HVAC, were operating normally except for the lighting, it is likely that the lighting accounted for most of this reduction. Then it is clear why it was useful and worthwhile to study lighting in classrooms by creating different scenarios for simulation.
![Figure 17: Female Faculty of Engineering, Science, Food and Agriculture [C6 Building], Female Side, UAEU, Al Ain, UAE](https://thumb-ap.123doks.com/thumbv2/azpdfco/10576216.0/72.892.197.695.96.573/figure-female-faculty-engineering-science-agriculture-building-female.webp)
Limitations of Study
Results and Discussion
Overview of the Survey
- Part 1 Survey Results
- Part 2 Survey Results
- Part 3 Survey Results
- Part 4 Survey Results
- Part 5 Survey Results
- Summary of Survey
The first part of the questionnaire focused on the overall IEQ and the general level of satisfaction of each main IEQ parameter in the case study building. The fourth part of the survey asked about the symptoms of SBS from the case study building. Change the AC type, this is mainly because of the air distribution inside the classroom.
Thermal comfort: 12% of the students felt bad about thermal comfort because of the cold temperatures, and the change in temperatures throughout the day Figure 21. Other and Overall IEQ: 9% of the students who feel bad about the overall IEQ are related to some factors such as the layout of the classrooms (the placement of the furniture and its directions).
Overview of the Monitoring Data
- Thermal Comfort Monitoring Results
- IAQ Monitoring Results
- Lighting Comfort Monitoring Results
- Summary of Monitoring Experiments
In each of the classrooms, the device was placed according to the floor plan of the classrooms (students' desks). The space for classrooms is in the east-south direction from the outside of the building. The classroom faces northwest from the outside of the building.
The classrooms are in a west-south direction from the outside of the building. The classrooms face northwest from the inside of the building, where the windows face the courtyard.
Overview of the Simulation Results
- Internal Cooling Temperature Change
- Desks Layout Change
- Lighting Zoning Change
- Open Window Through Corridor, Desks Layout, and Lighting Zoning
- All Scenarios Combined
From table 22 the reduction in cooling load occurred due to the reduction in the use of artificial lighting, which reduces the amount of heat generated by the lamps. This suggestion helped manage the use of artificial lighting in the classroom based on the amount of daylight in each area. From table 23 as the amount of artificial lighting is reduced, this has caused the heat coming from the light to decrease, which has led to a decrease in the cooling load.
Lighting comfort - Increased ability to use daylight during the day in certain places in the classroom. Lighting Convenience - Increased ability to use daylight during the day in most places in the classroom.
Summary of Research Findings and Discussion
Artificial lighting that will be controlled by species will reduce energy consumption, as species that have enough daylight will not need to turn on artificial lights and so on. Changing the AC type (linear type) to a type that can distribute the air evenly in the classroom or adding shields under the ducts to help distribute the air evenly or changing the location of the AC ducts at the edges of the ceiling, walls, or floor. Because with the linear type, pupils placed below the intake air ducts feel cooler and drier than the rest, while those placed far away from them might feel warmer or more comfortable.
Based on the simulation, energy consumption could be reduced by 51% using a variety of simple methods, such as raising the indoor temperature to a comfort level (25% energy saved), increasing daylighting (24% energy saved) , creating artificial lighting zones (26% energy saved) and updating the layout of the classrooms (19% energy saved). These types of changes can be made in any classroom based on its location in the building. Subsequently, the reduction can be implemented in almost all classrooms, which means that the total energy consumed by the building will decrease by a noticeable value.
Conclusion
Main Findings
Second, the monitoring experiments measured the current state of IEQ in terms of thermal, IAQ and visual parameters, but the acoustic parameter was ignored since the building is not occupied as usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on classroom furniture layout, indoor temperature and lighting, the simulation part of the study helps determine whether the suggestions made will help improve IEQ and reduce energy consumption. Both the cooling load and the lighting load have a large effect on the energy consumption of the building.
Based on the results of the online questionnaire and the monitoring experiments, there are some problems inside the classrooms, such as the indoor temperature being cold or hot for some students due to the type of AC used (linear type - 2 outlets and 2 inlets) leading to an uneven air flow through the classrooms. Regarding the improvement of IEQ, some of the suggestions based on GBRSs involve increasing the use of daylight and improving the control of the occupants within the space to ensure a comfortable indoor environment while saving energy.
Research Challenges and Opportunities
According to the literature review, the GBRSs were created to ensure a better built environment, taking into account nature, people, economy, society and energy. This research has shown that some of these simple ways can improve occupant comfort and energy consumption by a certain percentage. The GBRSs also show that maintaining a quality indoor environment requires detailed studies of two things.
The first is the occupants of the building, as some factors, such as age and gender, can influence the occupants' interactions with the space. This is because it is run at a specific time of the day when the students are in class.
Research Gap and Future Study
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Evaluation of indoor environmental quality (IEQ): student well-being in a university classroom using landscape design. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.rehva.eu/news/article/rehva-position-paper-on-indoor-air-quality. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://www.witpress.com/elibrary/wit-transactions-on-ecology-and-the-environment/249/37863.
Evaluation of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in densely populated academic buildings: case studies of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.
