HVAC system operation strategies for energy conservation and thermal comfort in commercial buildings in Saudi Arabia.

摘要

In Saudi Arabia, presence of harsh climatic conditions necessitates air conditioners. The HVAC system alone consume 65% of the total energy delivered to the building, hence implementing appropriate HVAC operation strategies can significantly reduce energy consumption.; For this study shopping malls were selected to identify their building energy and thermal performance. To achieve this goal, data regarding building envelope, building systems and their operation, etc was collected from five different shopping malls located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. HVAC operation strategies were categorized based on their economic value. Operation strategies such as thermostat control, night setback and fan control produced energy saving of 0.5%, 7% and 10% respectively, with no investment made. Small investment can be made to control the HVAC system like the thermostat, though they generated very less savings. Since the model building had individual system installed, five central systems were also tested. TPFC produced highest saving followed by VAV whereas packaged multi zone performed the worst among different system investigated. Additionally optimal HVAC operations are investigated that can help to attain energy savings without sacrificing occupants thermal comfort. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)