Indoor Thermal Performance of a Retrofitted Air-Conditioned Mosque: Case Study for Penang State Mosque

Abstract

In a mosque environment, occupants are temporarily in the situation of various dress and congregate activities which desire comfortable environment. Inappropriate thermal comfort condition in a mosque leads the distraction in fulfilling the religious practice and also causing emotional influence. The proper setting of thermal comfort parameters is important to provide a suitable environment for the mosque occupants. Proper investigations of thermal comfort may help to optimize the usage of the cooling systems such as air conditioning system. The objective of this paper is to investigate the thermal comfort performance of large-scale retrofitted air-conditioned mosques with intermittent operation in Penang, Malaysia. According to the survey, the mosques in this region can be categorized into five groups (G1 -G5) according to floor area (131.55 m 2 to 2,920 m 2 ). A case study is conducted on a large scale mosque with a floor area of 2,920 m 2 that is equipped with a centralized air-conditioning system. Result shows that the system produces an indoor thermal environment that within the range recommended by ASHRAE Standard 55. Most of the predicted thermal sensation under predicted mean vote (PMV) indices is achieved and within the comfort zone range (-0.5, +0.5). Some thermal strategies need to be applied especially on air conditioning system, operation configuration, handling procedure, zoning section as well as technical knowledge among mosque officials. Hence, the energy consumption of the mosque can be reduced while maintaining thermal comfort level of occupants. kawasan ini boleh dikategorikan kepada lima kumpulan (G1-G5) berdasarkan keluasan lantai (131.55 m 2 kepada 2,920 m 2 ). Satu kajian kes telah dijalankan ke atas masjid berskala besar, 2,920 m 2 yang dilengkapi sistem penghawa dingin jenis berpusat. Hasil menunjukkan bahawa sistem menghasilkan persekitaran terma dalaman di dalam julat yang dicadangkan oleh piawaian ASHRAE 55. Kebanyakan ramalan terma sensasi di bawah indeks undi min ramalan (PMV) adalah tercapai dan berada dalam julat zon selesa (-0.5, +0.5). Strategi penambahbaikkan terma persekitaran perlu dilakukan terutamanya melibatkan pengendalian sistem penghawa dingin, konfigurasi pengoperasian, prosedur pengendalian, seksyen pengezonan serta pengetahuan teknikal di kalangan pegawai-pegawai masjid. Oleh yang demikian, penggunaan tenaga masjid dapat dikurangkan serta dapat mengekalkan tahap keselesaan terma di kalangan jemaah.

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