Thermal Performance Analysis for Ventilated and Unventilated Glazed Rooms in Malaysia (Comparing Simulated and Field Data)

Glazed windows can cause intensive overheating due to solar radiation within buildings in hot climates. These glazed windows, according to their apertures, can also provide cross-ventilation which is necessary for cooling and improving thermal comfort of occupants. Many computerized environmental simulation tools are available to help designers to predict the environmental performance of their design at the early stage. The thermal comfort study presented in this paper involved the use of field measurement and computer simulation tool, i.e. Ecotect. Validation of Ecotect was carried out by comparing the computer simulation results with the field measurements of the east-facing room at Fajar Harapan Hostel, University Science Malaysia, which has a 50% glazed area-to-wall ratio. Output data from Ecotect were compared to the fieldwork data in terms of indoor/outdoor air temperatures and indoor air velocity. The impact of reducing the glazed area from window wall ratio = 50% in the base case to 25% and 00% (i.e. window less) was investigated. The results showed that the simulation compared well with the field data with a difference of less than 0.9°C, indicating that rooms with a large glazed window area would be relatively cool during night-time only, and a smaller glazed window area would perform well during daytime as well as night-time.

[1]  Liwei Tian,et al.  Low-energy envelope design of residential building in hot summer and cold winter zone in China , 2008 .

[2]  Z. Zain,et al.  Hot and humid climate: prospect for thermal comfort in residential building , 2007 .

[3]  Mohammad S. Al-Homoud,et al.  Implementation of a Multi-phase Approach for Investigating and Remedying a Thermal Comfort Problem in an Office Building , 2009 .

[4]  Baizhan Li,et al.  Physiological Expression of Human Thermal Comfort to Indoor Operative Temperature in the Non-HVAC Environment: , 2010 .

[5]  Baizhan Li,et al.  Climatic Strategies of Indoor Thermal Environment for Residential Buildings in Yangtze River Region, China , 2011 .

[6]  S. Ahmad,et al.  The performance of a partially air conditioned apartment building in Kuala Lumpur , 2007 .

[7]  Donald G. Colliver,et al.  Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings , 2005 .

[8]  K. F. Fong,et al.  Comfort Zone of Air Speeds and Temperatures for Air-conditioned Environment in the Subtropical Hong Kong , 2010 .

[9]  My Chan,et al.  Thermal Comfort Levels in a Room with Solar Radiation , 2008 .

[10]  P. Jones,et al.  Field Measurement and Subjects' Votes Assessment on Thermal Comfort in High-rise Hostels in Malaysia , 2008 .

[11]  Qingyan Chen,et al.  Natural Ventilation Design for Houses in Thailand , 2001 .

[12]  Baizhan Li,et al.  Occupant’s Perception and Preference of Thermal Environment in Free-running Buildings in China: , 2010 .

[13]  Jon Hand,et al.  CONTRASTING THE CAPABILITIES OF BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE SIMULATION PROGRAMS , 2008 .

[14]  Masaya Okumiya,et al.  A ventilated courtyard as a passive cooling strategy in the warm humid tropics , 2003 .

[15]  J. Busch.  A tale of two populations: thermal comfort in air-conditioned and naturally ventilated offices in Thailand , 1992 .