Cooling Energy Savings Potential in Student Halls

Abstract

The buildings sector is a major energy consumer as it accounts for almost 40% of the EU‘s energy requirements and for about 1/3 of the total energy related CO2 emissions. In 2003, the building sector accounted for almost 60% of the total net electricity consumption in the OECD countries. A large share of the electricity consumption accounts for space cooling which has shown an increasing trend in recent years. It is expected that, in future years, the economic growth of many countries and the increased living standards will boost electricity consumption for space cooling. Passive cooling techniques and energy efficient measures can considerably contribute to improving the energy performance of buildings and the achievement of interior comfort and air quality conditions.Student halls are large building complexes, with high energy requirements and are thus associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions. The energy conscious design of these buildings along with construction with environmental criteria and proper energy management are needed in order to obtain both a comfortable indoor environment for occupants and to achieve low energy consumption. This paper investigates alternative energy saving measures for improving the energy performance and indoor comfort conditions of accommodation rooms in student halls during the summer period. The student halls of an educational building in Greece were examined through questionnaire assessment of indoor conditions and simulation studies on alternative cooling energy saving measures and techniques.