New Weather-Feature Variable to Assess Energy Use under Tight Indoor Environmental Control in Historical Gallery Buildings

摘要

This paper develops a new weather-feature variable, Humidity Day (HD), which measures the latent influence of outdoor weather on the indoor air conditions and energy usage in a challenging case of a historical gallery having tight indoor environmental control. The variable is branched into two separate cases of latent addition and reduction in the form of Humidifying Humidity Day (HHD) and Dehumidifying Humidity Day (DHD), respectively. The Base Moisture Content (g_b) is defined using the indoor environmental specifications, separately for HHD and DHD. Exemplified by applying the methods in the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), the results clearly outline the positive outcomes of HD. The monthly latent influence of outdoor weather is quantified and shows a maximum amount of humidification requirement during the cold months whereas the same for dehumidification is observed during the warmer months. A correlation between HHD and humidifier energy consumption at the NGS is also observed.