The present article reports on the feasibility of using encapsulated phase change materials (EPCMs) in the dehumidifying bed of a desiccant cooling system. The mathematical model used to simulate the coupled non-equilibrium heat and moisture transfer processes in the porous composite structure...

Incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) into traditional building structures has been considered as an effective way to reduce the mismatch between energy supply and demand and in turn to minimise energy consumption (cooling/heating energy). For building applications, Phase Change Material...

Planted roofs are passive cooling techniques that reduce the thermal load of buildings. In this paper, the authors have developed a model for evaluating the cooling potential of green roofs. Transfer equations are solved using a finite difference scheme and Thomas algorithm. The study was...

With the pressing regulatory requirement to increase energy efficiency in our built environment, significant researching efforts have been recently directed towards energy optimisation with the overall objective of reducing energy consumption. Energy simulation and optimisation identify a class...

Facility quality is dependent on the performance of utility infrastructure and local weather conditions in addition to social context. Theoretically, improvements in facility quality such as energy performance should reduce marginal costs of consumption for occupiers so as to increase asset...

The currently developing concept of a Net Zero Energy Building introduces new challenges and research problems. The calculation of a net zero energy balance is heavily influenced by the energy carrier weighting factors that are chosen, which can deeply influence the future energy market towards...

Atmospheric long-wave down-welling radiation is a fundamental element of climate change and of input to thermal simulation. Measuring long-wave radiation is needed to calculate locally total energy flows to the earth's surface and night cooling rates in urban precincts. It is an important...

A zero energy house (ZEH) was built side by side with a baseline house in suburban Las Vegas. Actual energy performance measurements were carried out on the incorporated energy saving features and solar applications. The data show that a radiant barrier and a water-cooled air conditioner are...

This paper investigates the effects of weather forecast uncertainty on the performance of a concept for predictive control of building systems operation. The concept uses a computational physically-based building model and weather forecasts to predict future heating or cooling requirement. This...

The effect of projected climate change on building performance is currently a growing research area. Building designers and architects are becoming more concerned that buildings designed for the current climate might not provide adequate working and living environments in the coming decades....