Impact of Indoor Climate on Energy Efficiency and Productivity in Office Buildings
2014
Gaļina Stankeviča

Defending
20.06.2014. 15:00, BF, Āzenes 20, 250.auditorijā

Supervisor
Andris Krēsliņš

Reviewers
Anatolijs Borodiņecs, Gaļina Kaškārova, Uldis Iljins

The working population normally spends about 25% of its time at work, from which many have their workplaces in office environments. Therefore, it is important to establish a healthy, comfortable and productive work environment that majority of building occupants will find pleasant and stimulating to stay and work in. Selection of heating and cooling capacities of an air handling unit (AHU) has a direct effect on maintained indoor air parameters. During the design process creation of productive indoor climate is usually neglected, leading to economically unjustified capacity selection. The aim of doctoral thesis is to develop methodology for complex, economically justified evaluation of indoor climate and energy use, with respect to maximized profit. The main tasks include: 1) Proposal of method for outdoor climate data procession; 2) Development of mathematical model for energy calculations based on outdoor air parameters (temperature and relative humidity), wind speed, cloud cover and solar radiation; 3) Development of productivity metrics with respect to indoor air parameters (temperature and relative humidity); 4) Optimization of selection of heating and cooling capacities for an air handling unit, as well as selection of building envelope design elements based on maximized profit. Scientific novelty: selection of heating and cooling capacities for an air handling unit based on maximized profit. Practical applications: 1) Recommendations for designers, when selecting heating and cooling capacities for an air handling unit, building envelope design elements, e.g. window area, as well as when evaluating effects of solar radiation on room heat balance, taking into account building orientation; 2) Developed Excel tool for investigation of impact of indoor climate on energy efficiency and productivity in office buildings.


Keywords
Employee productivity, energy efficiency, indoor climate

Stankeviča, Gaļina. Impact of Indoor Climate on Energy Efficiency and Productivity in Office Buildings. PhD Thesis. Rīga: [RTU], 2014. 91 p.

Publication language
English (en)
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