Towards nearly zero energy building concept – visual comfort and energy efficiency assessments in a classroom

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to raise awareness on how a simple action by the occupant can significantly influence building energy efficiency, cost and CO2 emissions to the environment. Classrooms in schools are the primary energy consumers (45.4%) due to the use of artificial lighting, despite Malaysia's tropical climate being ideal for daylight exploitation. This paper focuses on assessing the workplane daylight distribution quality and quantity in baseline and existing conditions of a typical pre-school classroom in Kuala Lumpur as a model-based exploration strategy towards nearly Zero Energy Buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe adopted method is based on the calculation of average daylight factor (DF), daylight illuminance level (IL) and uniformity ratio (UR) parameters affected by the internal fixed drapes through computational and in situ measurements according to the requirements of the law and respective standards comprising the MS1525:2019, GBI and BREEAM.FindingsThe results show how user behaviour can turn a well-daylit area (Net Lettable Area>90%) into a poor-daylit area (NLA<5%) by sacrificing natural daylight. All the parameters' values were significantly decreased from 10% (UR) up to 88% (ADF). Full dependency on artificial lighting has imposed a total of RM18858.90 and CO2 emissions of 25,362 kg for all pre-schools' classrooms in the country per day.Social implicationsThe paper develops the occupants' awareness on their contribution to climate change and global warming through the information and transparency provided.Originality/valueThe evidence indicates that a simple action by the occupant can significantly influence visual comfort, EE, cost and CO2 emissions to the environment.

Indoor environmental quality and energy use intensity: an empirical post-occupancy evaluation test of on-campus university student housing in Ghana

“…Again, the reduction of time of air conditioner use contributed very highly to energy-saving. Drivers of satisfaction with visual comfort have been witnessed in studies (Shafavi et al, 2020;Mahyuddin et al, 2022;Sorooshnia et al, 2023). Mahyuddin et al (2022) where the satisfaction of visual comfort in classrooms in Malaysia was influenced by daylight access by less than 5%.…”

“…Drivers of satisfaction with visual comfort have been witnessed in studies (Shafavi et al, 2020;Mahyuddin et al, 2022;Sorooshnia et al, 2023). Mahyuddin et al (2022) where the satisfaction of visual comfort in classrooms in Malaysia was influenced by daylight access by less than 5%. In aspects of natural lightning, Xue et al (2021) assessed the use of smart design in the college library and found the use of unshaded curtains as critical to block sunlight in certain areas.…”

Contribuições da luz do dia no âmbito de NZEBs:

“…ENTAC2022 -Ambiente Construído: Resiliente e Sustentável 6 2 (BALLARINI et al, 2019) [16] 3 (ALKHATIB et al, 2021) [17] 4 (MAHYUDDIN et al, 2021) [18] 5 (BUONOMANO et al, 2016) [19] 6 (PIASECKI, 2019) [20] 7 (LAN; WOOD; YUEN, 2019) [21] 8 [22] 9 (PALLIS et al, 2021) [23] 10 BAYERA MADESSA; NORD, 2021) [24] 11 (OLIVEIRA PANAO; GONÇALVES, 2011) [25] 12 (KIM; YU, 2018) [26] 13 (ROMANSKA-ZAPALA; BOMBERG; YARBROUGH, 2019) [27] 14 (KANG et al, 2021) [28] 15 (PIKAS; THALFELDT; KURNITSKI, 2014) [29] Catál. Capes 16 COSTA, 2018 (dissertação) [30] 17 ESTEVES, 2020 (tese) [31] 18 SUDBRACK, 2017 (dissertação) [32] Google Scholar 19 GÓES, T. et al 2021 (encontro) [33] 20 AMORIM, C. et al 2021a (encontro) [34] 21 Técnicas passivas são a base inicial NZEBs, como o uso da iluminação natural por meio de estudo da orientação solar disponível [18,32]. Maximizar a captação da luz do dia proporciona uma grande economia de energia, porém deve-se manter atento o nível de iluminação adequado, evitando-se o ofuscamento do usuário [15].…”

“…Altomonte, et al [9] e Mahyuddin, et al [10] fazem uma crítica às "novas edificações verdes". Os autores compreendem que edificações sustentáveis, como NZEBs sejam um avanço na busca da eficiência energética, mas ressalvam que estas venham acompanhadas de promoção do bem-estar estar humano.…”

The Potential Energy Saving in Lighting Systems on Campuses in Tropical Areas: A Combination of Natural and Artificial Light

“…Regarding electrical energy consumption, the characteristics of electrical energy use in tropical areas will differ from those in non-tropical areas (Belussi et al, 2019). A study of buildings for educational facilities in Malaysia, which has a tropical climate, found that utilizing natural light without artificial light during operational hours can reduce artificial lighting energy use by up to 100% on regular days (Mahyuddin et al, 2022). It was found that potential savings of 24.5% were obtained by regulating natural and artificial light sources in China.…”