Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are known for their high energy performance and thus can improve energy efficiency both in residential and commercial buildings. The energy savings potential of this system has been demonstrated in several studies by comparing the system performance with...

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are known for their high energy performance and thus can improve energy efficiency both in residential and commercial buildings. The energy savings potential of this system has been demonstrated in several studies by comparing the system performance with...

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...

Although developing countries are rapidly urbanizing, many of their citizens still live in rural environments and the majority of the energy use is dominated by the built environment. This study aims to demonstrate the adaptation of the European typology approach for building stock energy...

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....