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Overheating in buildings: better prevention than cure
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When we are too hot, we do not feel comfortable. We start to sweat, get thirsty and stressed, and we feel our energy drain. This causes us to be a lot less productive. This is precisely why reducing overheating is a must in a new construction, as well as in major renovations.
Ingenium always tries to avoid the use of active cooling by providing alternatives that are more energy-friendly and sustainable. Summer comfort simulation is therefore required in every project. However, there are also a number of principles - based on the principle of Quadras Energetica - that are best taken into account as early as the design phase:
Limit cooling demand.
Fill the remaining demand sustainably by using passive cooling.
Take advantage of energy exchange when there is simultaneous cooling and heat demand.
Is active cooling unavoidable? Then deploy it efficiently!Based on these principles, we'd like to offer some general tips:
Reduce the chance of overheating with passive measures
Byapplying passive measures, we can reduce the chance of overheating and therefore also keep the final cooling demand low. Some possibilities are:
- Provide glass with a sufficiently low solar factor. - Install exterior shading on the east, south and west sides of the building. Sun shading on the inside has little to no effect. In the ideal case, use mobile exterior blinds that are controlled according to solar radiation. Another option is fixed solar shading elements, with precise placement based on simulations.
Fill remaining cooling demand sustainably
Provide a ventilation strategy that uses colder outside air at night to cool the building mass. This can be done through grilles or automatically opening windows, or through a ventilation system already in place. Release as much of the building mass as possible by avoiding raised floors and suspended ceilings where possible.
Is there a simultaneous cooling and heat demand? Makesure an energy exchange between the two is possible. For example, the heat extracted from the south side of the building can be raised to a higher temperature via a heat pump and used, for example, to produce domestic hot water.
Supplement with active cooling in a sustainable way Ifactive cooling (and heating) are unavoidable, deploy them efficiently. This can be done in a sustainable way by using a BTES or Cold Heat Storage, for example.
We can make some observations here. For example, there is an area of tension between providing passive measures (shading) and daylighting. The necessary comfort and daylight simulations can help strike the right balance here. In addition, comfort and thus overheating is strongly person-related. When users themselves can intervene in their comfort (by opening a window, for example), higher temperatures are more easily experienced as acceptable.
Want to know how you can keep your cool this summer? Our expert Raf De Herdt will be happy to help. raf.deherdt@ingenium.be
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