Assessment of Seasonal Energy Efficiency Strategies of a Double Skin Façade in a Monsoon Climate Region

Taehoon Hong,Choongwan Koo,Jimin Kim,Hyo Park,Juyoung Lee

doi:10.3390/en6094352

Abstract

As climate change and global warming have become two of the most significant environmental issues today, the double-skin façade (DSF) is getting considerable attention as an energy-efficient passive design. This study is aimed at assessing the seasonal energy efficiency strategies of a DSF targeting library facilities in the climate region with hot summers and cold winters. Toward this end, this study was conducted in four steps: (i) establishment of seasonal energy-efficient strategies; (ii) application of seasonal energy-efficient strategies; (iii) analysis of energy saving effect by season; and (iv) life cycle cost and life cycle CO2 analyses for selecting an optimal DSF. Results show that a shaft box DSF energy model (EMS) #2, which applied winter strategies, was optimal with an energy saving rate of 4.13%, while a multi-story DSF energy model (EMM) #5, which applied summer strategies, was optimal with an energy saving rate of 12.67%. In terms of savings to investment ratio (SIR40) and breakeven point (BEP40), the multi-story DSF (3.20; 9 years) was superior. The results of this study can be used for (i) seasonal energy efficiency strategies of a DSF in East Asian monsoon climates, and (ii) as a guideline for the application of a DSF both in existing and new buildings.

Highlights

The recent increase in global energy consumption has led to a phenomenon called global warming and related climate problems, resulting in a growing interest in developing various technologies that aim to reduce energy consumption, including passive designs, which can reduce the energy load of a building [1,2]
To establish seasonal energy efficiency strategies, this study considered the following methods: (i) a static air buffer as an airflow operating method to improve the effect of double skin façade (DSF) in winter; (ii) an external air curtain as an airflow operating method to improve the effect of DSF in the summer; (iii) natural ventilation as an airflow operating method to improve the additional effect of DSF in summer; and (iv) green wall (GW) as a method for improving thermal insulation to improve the effect of DSF in both summer and winter
The library facility is the main factor of energy consumption and exists in all the university [54]

Summary

Introduction

The recent increase in global energy consumption has led to a phenomenon called global warming and related climate problems, resulting in a growing interest in developing various technologies that aim to reduce energy consumption, including passive designs, which can reduce the energy load of a building [1,2]. Though unrelated to various efforts in reducing energy consumption, the ratio of glazing in building façades has increased for aesthetic purposes. Direct solar radiation inside the building rose, causing thermal issues as well as increased heating and cooling energy consumption. In hot climate regions, the energy cost attributed to the increase in cooling energy consumption significantly increased [3,4,5,6]. To solve these issues, various energy saving techniques have been introduced to block direct solar radiation, such as tinted glass, colored glass and phase changing materials. There is a growing interest in the double skin façade (DSF), which can be implemented in buildings with a high glazing ratio [7,8]

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Methods

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Conclusion