Energy Efficient Systems and Strategies for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) of Buildings

Abstract

Abstract The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems maintain and control temperature and humidity levels to provide an adequate indoor environment for people activity or for processing goods. The cost of operating an HVAC system can be significant in commercial buildings and in some industrial facilities. In the U.S., it is estimated that the energy used to operate HVAC systems can represent about 50% of the total electrical energy use in a typical commercial building (Krarti, 2000). It is therefore important that buildings designers recognize some of the characteristics of the HVAC systems and determine if any available design and operating options can be considered to improve the energy of these systems. A basic HVAC air distribution system consists of an air-handling unit with the following components as shown in Figure 1: •Dampers to control the amount of air to be distributed by the HVAC system including: outside air (OA) damper, return air (RA) damper, exhaust air (EA) damper, and...