Page 60 - GRIHA Manual Volume III - Introduction to National Rating System
P. 60
Building and system design optimization 53
CRIteRIon 14
optIMIze eneRGy
peRfoRMAnCe of buIldInG
wItHIn speCIfIed CoMfoRt
lIMIts
Introduction
The main purpose of buildings is to provide a comfortable indoor environment for its occupants,
create a sense of health and well-being, and maintain required visual, aural, and thermal comfort.
Thermal comfort is defined as ‘that condition of mind, which expresses satisfaction with the thermal
environment’ (Fanger 1970). It is a complex issue involving many parameters. The six primary
factors affecting thermal comfort are air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, mean radiant
temperature, clothing level, and metabolic rate. Green buildings should provide high quality indoor
environment and optimum thermal comfort, with least possible primary energy consumption.
Conventionally designed buildings do not have insulated wall/roof. Usage of high performance
glazing is also limited in these buildings. This leads to high heat gains in buildings resulting in high
space-conditioning loads. Additionally, most of the air-conditioned buildings do not use high-
efficiency equipment, building controls or efficient electrical systems. Thus, the combination of the
above practices leads to high levels of energy consumption to provide the buildings’ occupants
with the required comfort conditions.
Solutions
Appropriate building design is the first step towards reducing energy consumption. A building
should be designed in such a way that it responds to the climate of the site, thus, reducing its
heating or cooling load.
Following are a few general recommendations based on climatic requirements, which are
applicable to almost all types of building designs.
1. Reduce exposed surfaces.
2. Improve thermal resistance and thermal capacity of building material, which improve the
performance of walls and roofs.
3. Increase buffer spaces and shading.
4. Use well-shaded high-performance glass.
5. Incorporate passive features like evaporative cooling, earth air tunnel or geothermal heat
pump.
6. Use energy-efficient electro-mechanical systems.
7. Use appropriate control strategies.
A building is usually a combination of the following spaces.
# Air-conditioned (AC) spaces: These consist of all spaces which are air-conditioned, both regularly
occupied as well as services/non-regularly occupied spaces.
CRIteRIon 14
optIMIze eneRGy
peRfoRMAnCe of buIldInG
wItHIn speCIfIed CoMfoRt
lIMIts
Introduction
The main purpose of buildings is to provide a comfortable indoor environment for its occupants,
create a sense of health and well-being, and maintain required visual, aural, and thermal comfort.
Thermal comfort is defined as ‘that condition of mind, which expresses satisfaction with the thermal
environment’ (Fanger 1970). It is a complex issue involving many parameters. The six primary
factors affecting thermal comfort are air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, mean radiant
temperature, clothing level, and metabolic rate. Green buildings should provide high quality indoor
environment and optimum thermal comfort, with least possible primary energy consumption.
Conventionally designed buildings do not have insulated wall/roof. Usage of high performance
glazing is also limited in these buildings. This leads to high heat gains in buildings resulting in high
space-conditioning loads. Additionally, most of the air-conditioned buildings do not use high-
efficiency equipment, building controls or efficient electrical systems. Thus, the combination of the
above practices leads to high levels of energy consumption to provide the buildings’ occupants
with the required comfort conditions.
Solutions
Appropriate building design is the first step towards reducing energy consumption. A building
should be designed in such a way that it responds to the climate of the site, thus, reducing its
heating or cooling load.
Following are a few general recommendations based on climatic requirements, which are
applicable to almost all types of building designs.
1. Reduce exposed surfaces.
2. Improve thermal resistance and thermal capacity of building material, which improve the
performance of walls and roofs.
3. Increase buffer spaces and shading.
4. Use well-shaded high-performance glass.
5. Incorporate passive features like evaporative cooling, earth air tunnel or geothermal heat
pump.
6. Use energy-efficient electro-mechanical systems.
7. Use appropriate control strategies.
A building is usually a combination of the following spaces.
# Air-conditioned (AC) spaces: These consist of all spaces which are air-conditioned, both regularly
occupied as well as services/non-regularly occupied spaces.
