Fresh Air System Research Articles

Air purifier or fresh air system? A comparison of energy consumption and cost in urban China residential buildings

Air purifier or fresh air system? A comparison of energy consumption and cost in urban China residential buildings

Energy-saving potential of fresh air management using camera-based indoor occupancy positioning system in public open space

The energy consumption of fresh air systems constitutes a significant proportion of the energy consumption of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system therefore, energy savings for fresh air handling units are essential. Typically, fresh air is supplied to a room, regardless of whether the space is occupied. Owing to the development of machine vision technology, camera-based indoor occupancy positioning systems that can provide the correct number and location of indoor occupancies have been developed. Thus, energy conservation for fresh air-handling units can be achieved by not serving vacant areas or by assuming a design load in the working zones. In this study, an occupancy position-oriented fresh air (OPFA) system is proposed to supply fresh air more directly to an occupied zone, thus conserving energy. To determine the location of indoor occupants, a stereo camera-based indoor occupancy positioning system is developed, and its accuracy is verified to be within 50 cm; furthermore, it can operate at only 30 W. To determine the annual energy consumption of the OPFA system, the positions of occupants in a classroom are monitored and recorded for 8 months. Subsequently, the typical occupancy patterns of the areas of interest are extracted via hierarchical clustering analysis. The results show that the total occupied time in the classroom is only 50.6% of the opening time. The most typical usage scenario is a self-study scenario with fewer than three persons. Therefore, typical operation strategies for a fresh air handling unit can be designed based on these typical occupancy scenarios, which can potentially conserve more than one-half of the supplied fresh air volume. The performance of the system is numerically investigated and compared with that of a conventional system. The result shows that the system reduces the total fresh air volume and energy consumption by 60.2% and 67.7%, respectively. This study offers a paradigm for efficiently reducing the energy usage of fresh air systems in multipurpose buildings based on occupancy positions to identify typical indoor occupancy patterns, thus allowing the operation strategies of ventilation systems to be optimized.

The Influence of Bedroom CO2 Concentration on Sleep Quality

A person spends about a third of their life sleeping, and high sleep quality is very important for health. Environmental factors are one of the most important factors affecting sleep quality, and indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration while sleeping has a significant effect on sleep quality. In an indoor bedroom with no open windows and no fresh air system, different numbers of people sleeping will lead to changes in indoor CO2 concentration. In order to study the changes in sleep quality caused by differences in CO2 concentration, experimental research was performed. Objective sleep quality data are collected with polysomnography (PSG) and a subjective questionnaire. The sleep quality of the subjects is tested under three different CO2 concentration levels; the average carbon dioxide concentration of three conditions is 680, 920, and 1350 ppm, which simulate a room with 1, 2, and 3 people sleeping, respectively. Other environment parameters are controlled as follows: test environment temperature is 26 ± 0.5 °C, relative humidity is 50 ± 5%, there is no obvious heat source in the test room, and the radiation temperature and air temperature difference is less than 1 °C. A total of 30 subjective tests were carried out with 10 subjects; the test lasted more than one month. The data subsequently underwent statistical analysis to determine the influence of CO2 concentration on sleep quality. The results show that as the CO2 concentration level increased, the sleep quietness and satisfaction of the subjects gradually decreased, the sleep duration gradually decreased, and symptoms such as throat discomfort, dyspnea, dry and itchy skin, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty waking up, congested nose and bad air smell become more obvious. The PSG test results showed that CO2 concentration has a significant impact on the proportion of the N3 period. According to the group of CO2 concentration conditions, the mean of the N3 period proportion under the conditions of one person, two persons, and three persons is 20.4%, 17.3%, and 14.4%, respectively. Finally, there was also an increase in turning over or awakening during sleep, indicating that sleep quality was reduced under higher CO2 concentrations.

Characteristics Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds Pollution in Residential Buildings in Northeast China Based on Field Measurement

A total of 8 mechanically ventilated residential buildings and 8 naturally ventilated residential buildings were selected to analyze the pollution characteristics of indoor VOCs under different ventilation modes in the severe cold area of northeast China. On typical meteorological days in each season, VOCs were detected on site, and ventilation modes were investigated by long-term online monitoring. The test results showed that the TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) concentrations varied greatly in different seasons or different functional rooms, and the TVOC concentration was the highest in winter, with a value of 0.994 mg/m3. The kitchen was the place with the most serious VOC pollution, and the TVOC concentration could reach 1.403 mg/m3. Benzene series and methylsiloxane had the highest detection rates, but the detected concentrations were low, and the average concentrations were 0.025 mg/m3 and 0.013 mg/m3 respectively. Among the VOC types with a detection rate greater than 50%, the average proportions of aldehydes, alkanes, and benzene series were 18.7%, 15.39%, and 14.38%, respectively. And their mass ratios were also high, which were 14.90%, 30.85%, and 15.70%, respectively. The annual daily average ventilation duration of mechanically ventilated residential buildings was 7.84 h longer than that of naturally ventilated residential buildings. The median TVOC concentrations of mechanically ventilated residential buildings and naturally ventilated residential buildings were 0.621 mg/m3 and 0.707 mg/m3, respectively. The fresh air system was applicable in the severe cold area of northeast China.

Performance of a BAPVT modules coupled TEHR unit fresh air system based on micro heat pipe array

Energy consumption for heating and cooling fresh air has become a major component of building energy consumption, and there is a growing focus on highly-efficient and energy-conserving fresh-air treatment technology. This paper presents a new fresh-air system based on a high-efficiency heat transfer element, the micro heat pipe array (MHPA). It consists of a novel air-cooled building attached to a photovoltaic/thermal module (MHPA-BAPVT) and a thermoelectric heat recovery unit (MHPA-TEHR). The system uses solar energy, photovoltaic power generation, and waste heat for fresh air preheating. A series of fresh-air systems were designed, constructed, tested, and analyzed. The results reveal that on sunny winter days, the temperature of fresh air flowing through MHPA-BAPVT modules can increase by 22.15 °C. The average thermal and electric efficiency of the MHPA-BAPVT modules was 12.16% and 7.10%, respectively, and MHPA-TEHR could exceed the upper limit of passive heat recovery technology, which could generate 1.25 kW of heat per 1 kW of input electric power. The maximum ratio of total heating power to the total power consumption of the fresh-air system reached 14.94. During a typical day in the winter season, solar preheating exceeded the fresh air heat requirement by 24.34%, and the excess heat provided 292.92 MJ for building heating demand. Comparing the electric heating fresh-air unit with conventional heat recovery, the former achieved nearly zero energy consumption during the winter season. During the transitional season, the system could provide 711.82 MJ of solar energy, which improved the indoor temperature. Finally, using the experimental data and meteorological parameters of Zibo, the annual heat and electricity benefits and reduced carbon dioxide emissions of the fresh-air system were calculated. The fresh-air system in this study can fully utilize solar energy for heat collection and power generation to reduce building energy consumption and can be applied widely.

Energy-efficient fresh air system with pressure-independent dampers for nearly zero energy buildings

Fresh air volume control is of great significance in reducing energy consumption in nearly zero energy buildings. Previous studies have shown that the operating fresh air volume often deviates significantly from the design value, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption. To overcome this problem, this study proposes an energy efficiency fresh air system for NEBs by using pressure-independent dampers to balance system resistance and control the operating fresh air volume accurately. A typical fresh air system used in a typical NZEB was tested both in laboratory and on site for a whole heating season. Based on the test data, the energy consumption model of the proposed fresh air system was established and validated. The energy performance of the proposed system was analyzed comprehensively. Results show that using the pressure-independent damper in the fresh air system to control the fresh air flow rate can significantly reduce the fresh air load by 39.2%, 49.4%, 52.3% and 45.5% in Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, respectively; The annual energy saving rates in these cities are approximately 29.3%, 28.7%, 27.0% and 19.1%, respectively. These energy saving rates are smaller than the corresponding fresh air load reductions due to the additional energy consumption caused by the pressure-independent damper; Furthermore, replacing the pressure-independent damper with an ideal variable speed ventilator for fresh air flow rate control can further increase the energy saving rate by 12%∼16%. This study identifies the energy saving potential of fresh air systems and contributes to achieving sustainable development in nearly zero energy buildings.

Can air handling equipment be beneficial to children’s health? Results from a cross-sectional survey in 2010 and 2019 in China

A growing number of studies have shown that the indoor residential environment is associated with respiratory and allergic diseases in children. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of respiratory and allergic diseases among children in China and its correlation with using air handling equipment, based on the cross-sectional survey results of the China Children Homes Health Project in 2010 and 2019. The binary logistic regression model was used to explore the association between asthma, rhinitis, eczema and pneumonia and the use of air handling equipment in children. The prevalence of children’s respiratory and allergic diseases has decreased, and the usage rate of portable air purifiers and split air conditioners has increased in 2019 compared to 2010. The results showed that using a fresh air system with filters was negatively correlated with children’s pneumonia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.767, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.704–0.835). The use of portable air purifiers was positively correlated with most diseases’ symptoms in two undertaken surveys. In 2019, the positive correlation between using split air conditioners and asthma-related symptoms decreased compared with 2010, while it was positively correlated with rhinitis, eczema and pneumonia. To avoid children’s allergic diseases and reduce respiratory symptoms, parents should choose appropriate air handling equipment.

Field studies on indoor thermal environment and start-stop characteristics of the radiant air conditioning system during intermittent heating

With the improvement of social economy, the heating demand of residents in Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) areas in China is increasing. The radiant air conditioning (A/C) system, is popular as a heating way due to its high comfort, low noise and high energy saving potential. There is still a lack of field research on the system under the intermittent heating mode in the HSCW area. To provide a guide for the operation mode of the radiant A/C system during intermittent heating in HSCW areas, this paper focused on the radiant A/C system with the fresh air system, and then studied system's practical operational parameters and dynamic characteristics in winter. The indoor and outdoor air temperatures and relative humidity, the water temperatures of inlet and outlet of the air source heat pump (ASHP) unit, the supply and return water temperatures of radiant terminals, as well as supply air temperature were analyzed in three stages, i.e., the initial start-up stage, the intermittent shutdown stage and the intermittent start-up stage. The results show that, it took 7 h and 50 min for the indoor air temperature to reach the set indoor temperature during the initial start-up stage. Compared to the initial start-up stage, the intermittent start-up stage reduced the time for the indoor air temperature to reach the set indoor temperature by 4 h and increased the indoor air temperature rise rate by 97%. The indoor air temperature rise rate was 0.46 oC/h and 0.91 oC/h, during the initial start-up and the intermittent start-up stage, respectively. The indoor air temperature decrease rate was 0.23 oC/h during the shutdown period. During the entire winter season, the ASHP unit switched on and off intermittently 10 times. The longest shutdown lasted for 111 h, and the indoor air temperature dropped to 17.2oC.

Multi-functional nanofiber membranes with asymmetric wettability and pine-needle-like structure for enhanced moisture-wicking

Developing air cleaning membranes that simultaneously meet the needs of efficient moisture transfer, particulate matter (PM) filtration, and bacterial inhibition still faces great challenges. Herein, a membrane with asymmetric wettability and pine-needle-like nanorods (NRs) was successfully prepared through hydrothermal treatment following sequential electrospinning. The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods, in-situ grown on the hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, guide water transfer by extending to hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) channels, enhancing unidirectional water transport. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorods also release antibacterial active ingredients and increase the contact between fibers and aerosols, so harmful microbes are deactivated after the aerosols are captured by the membrane. Consequently, the PVDF/(ZnO NRs@PAN) membrane exhibits an excellent water vapor transport rate (12.47 kg m−2 d−1), PM0.3 removal efficiency (99.83%), and bacteria inhibition rate (99.99%). Moreover, the membrane maintains high filtration performance after 10-cycle filtration and cleaning. Thus, the membrane shows extensive application prospects in the scenario that involves aerosol filtration, moisture management, and microbe inhibition, such as masks, protective clothing, and fresh air systems. This work paves the way for developing multi-functional air cleaning membranes with asymmetric wettability, based on interface design and microstructure regulation.

Effects of indoor exposure to low level toluene on neural network alterations during working memory encoding

ObjectiveWhile high concentrations of toluene are known to affect multiple human organ systems, research concerning the influence of immediate, short-term exposure to toluene indoors and at low concentrations is scarce. Here, we studied effects of indoor toluene exposure on neural network alterations during working memory (WM) encoding. MethodsA total of 23 healthy college students were recruited. All participants were situated in a closed environmental chamber with a full fresh air system. Each participant was subjected to four exposure experiments with different toluene concentrations (0, 17.5, 35, and 70 ppb, named Group A, B, C and D, respectively), with at least one week between each experiment. WM Behavioral and 19-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings in a pre-set environmental chamber were conducted simultaneously during each toluene exposure experiment. Neural networks relevant to WM encoding were visualized analyzing the obtained data. Results1. No significant difference in WM behavioral performance among the four groups was found. However, a significant increase in whole brain neural network functional connectivity was noted, especially in the frontal region.2. An outflow directional transfer function (DTFoutflow) revealed higher frontal region values among Group D (the 70 ppb group) as compared to Group A, B and C (the0, 17.5 ppb and 35 ppb groups, respectively), although no differences in frontal region DTFinflow values among the four groups were noted.3. The DTFFZ-F7, DTFFZ-T5, DTFFZ-P4, DTFFZ-P3, DTFFP2-O2, DTFP3-T4, DTFP3-F4, DTFP4-CZ and DTFP4-T4 values of Group D were found to be higher as compared to those of Group A and B. Furthermore, DTFFZ-F7 and DTFP4-T4 values of Group C were higher as compared to those of Group A. The DTFFZ-F7 values of Group D were higher as compared to those of the Group C. ConclusionShort-term toluene exposure significantly influences neural networks during cognitive processes such as WM encoding, even at low concentration.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Joint Optimization Control of Indoor Temperature and Relative Humidity in Office Buildings

Indoor temperature and relative humidity control in office buildings is crucial, which can affect thermal comfort, work efficiency, and even health of the occupants. In China, fan coil units (FCUs) are widely used as air-conditioning equipment in office buildings. Currently, conventional FCU control methods often ignore the impact of indoor relative humidity on building occupants by focusing only on indoor temperature as a single control object. This study used FCUs with a fresh-air system in an office building in Beijing as the research object and proposed a deep reinforcement learning (RL) control algorithm to adjust the air supply volume for the FCUs. To improve the joint control satisfaction rate of indoor temperature and relative humidity, the proposed RL algorithm adopted the deep Q-network algorithm. To train the RL algorithm, a detailed simulation environment model was established in the Transient System Simulation Tool (TRNSYS), including a building model and FCUs with a fresh-air system model. The simulation environment model can interact with the RL agent in real time through a self-developed TRNSYS–Python co-simulation platform. The RL algorithm was trained, tested, and evaluated based on the simulation environment model. The results indicate that compared with the traditional on/off and rule-based controllers, the RL algorithm proposed in this study can increase the joint control satisfaction rate of indoor temperature and relative humidity by 12.66% and 9.5%, respectively. This study provides preliminary direction for a deep reinforcement learning control strategy for indoor temperature and relative humidity in office building heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Experimental study on heating performance of air source heat pump fresh air unit with fresh air and return air mixing in severe cold regions

In order to ensure the indoor air quality of the building, in view of the problem of fresh air heating in severe cold regions, this paper proposes an air source heat pump fresh air unit with fresh air and return air mixing. The mixing process of the fresh air and return air is realized in the mixing box, which increases the inlet air temperature of the condenser, creates a suitable condensation pressure, and ensures the energy-saving and stable operation of the unit. In order to explore the operation effect, heating performance and energy saving of the unit, an experimental bench was built in Harbin for laboratory heating. The experimental results showed that when the return air volume was 1400 m3/h, the fresh air unit could operate continuously and stably under the conditions of ensuring the fresh air volume of 700 m3/h and the supply air temperature of 24.0 °C. When the outdoor temperature was 4.9 °C, the heat pump COP was 4.29. Even when the outdoor temperature dropped to −20.9 °C, the heat pump COP still reached 2.46, while the COP of the fresh air system combining electric preheating, heat recovery and air source heat pump was only 1.44, and the COP of the fresh air system combining electric preheating, heat recovery and electric heat was only 1.21. In addition, the heat pump COP increased with the increase of the return air volume. As the set temperature increased, the heat pump COP increased first and then decreased.

Thermal performance improvement of a low-temperature thermal energy storage with configuration optimization

To improve the performance of solar heat storage and reduce the energy consumption of the fresh air system in areas with poor solar conditions, this study investigates the thermal storage and release performance of a low-temperature rectangular thermal energy storage unit (RTESU). A validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is used to address the impacts of configuration parameters on the performance of the thermal storage process in the Phase change material (PCM) module, including the number and eccentric arrangement of tubes. Subsequently, the effect of the air channel width on the air outlet temperature and the heat transfer rate is analyzed for the heat-releasing process. The numerical results show that the number and the eccentricity of the heat exchanger tube have significant impacts on the heat storage performance, and a minimum duration of 117 min can be achieved with a tube pitch of 30 mm (corresponding to 5 water tubes) and an eccentric of 5 mm, respectively. The air channel width of 20 mm is found as the optimal width due to its higher heat release efficiency (83.24 %) and lower pressure drop (4.3 Pa). The identification of key structural impacts helped to optimize the RTESU configuration, which performs at a low heat storage time of 117 min and achieves a heat release efficiency as high as 83.24 % to satisfy the need for poor solar conditions.

An hour-ahead predictive control strategy for maximizing natural ventilation in passive buildings based on weather forecasting

Due to the increasing demands of energy conservation and emission reduction, passive buildings with extra-low energy consumption and near zero energy consumption have attracted more attentions as a promising sustainable building type. Due to passive techniques such as air-tightness, passive buildings have a special demand of mechanical fresh air systems after closing windows. So it is indispensable to explore elaborate control strategies for maximizing natural ventilation, for the purpose of postponing the use of fossil energy. By taking meteorological forecast parameters as the input, an hour-head model-based predictive control (MPC) strategy of natural ventilation was proposed in this paper. Specifically, simulated multi-dimensional datasets obtained by setting different control actions under the same disturbances were obtained as the database for data-driven prediction models, which take weather forecast parameters as the input and labels of thermal comfort levels and air volumes as the output. It has been verified that although both with extended working hours and more stable comfort levels, the MPC strategy with priority to thermal comfort is superior to that with priority to fresh air volume. Furthermore, when compared with the traditional control strategy, ventilation hours via this MPC strategy could be increased by 56.3% from 366 h to 572 h. With this MPC model, the self-adaptive adjustment of window openness could be achieved by taking hour-ahead weather forecasting parameters as the input, thus to facilitate the climatic self-adaptive intelligent operation of passive buildings in future.

Integrating Logis Regression and XGBoost to Construct Indoor Air Quality Improvement Research

In the face of the severe global epidemic, indoor architectural space has become one of the critical issues, and the construction of a new type of “built environment” while solving “health and epidemic prevention” has become the goal of active development in countries around the world (SDGs & Pandemic Response); Pollutant concentration, optimization of indoor heat and humidity environment, and release of indoor environmental monitoring data, etc. It can not only protect the short-term needs of building users but also provide long-term health protection for building users and ultimately achieve the purpose of physical and mental health of building users. This study uses GIA-K007-12 Air Box to collect “environmental characteristics” variables; IAQ, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, TVOC, HCHO, Fungi index, TEMP, and HUMD are input variables for XGBOOST, using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 performs statistical analysis, modelling and using PYTHON to simulate the accuracy of the building fresh air system model and the decision ranking of essential factors. The test results are based on the XGBOOST decision tree. The accuracy value reaches 94.24%, and the order of critical environmental factors for the indoor fresh air system is PM1, HCHO, IAQ, Fungi index, TVOC, etc. The research results can provide the basis for constructing a teaching space for epidemic prevention and demonstrate that the establishment of an “air quality control platform that can be calculated in real-time” can improve the environmental health awareness (EHL) of stakeholders and provide for future development of epidemic prevention space planning and design in the post-epidemic era Reference and application of operation management.

Effect of pipes materials on particulate matters deposition in fresh air filtration systems: A case study

With the widespread popularity of fresh air filtration systems, the pipes materials have become one of the important parameters that affect the overall performances of the fresh air systems. In this paper, an experimental study on the deposition of particulate matters on two commonly used pipes materials (PVC and PE) in the market was tested, and conducted an in-depth analysis of its influencing factors. The results showed that the deposition rates of particulate matters in the PVC pipe increased with the increased of the inlet velocity, and the deposition rate reached the maximum at the velocity was 4.0 m/s. While the deposition rates of particulate matters in the PE pipe were increased first and then decreased with the increased of the inlet velocity, and the deposition rates reached the maximum at the velocity was 3.5 m/s. The PM values deposition rates showed the pipe systems of PE were higher than that of PVC. With the increased of the particle sizes, the tends of deposition rates increased gradually. There were big differences in the deposition rates of particle sizes of less than 1.0 ?m, and the largest difference was 0.615 ?m, with 8.44%. Therefore, reasonable pipe-line materials should be selected comprehensively according to actual need in the process of pipe-line installation and use. It would provide a useful reference value for the selection of pipe-line materials in the fresh air filtration systems in the post-epidemic era.

Experimental investigation of VOC influence on cognitive function at low concentration in a full-fresh air environmental chamber

Indoor air quality (IAQ) influences individual physical and mental health. Laboratory studies conducted in environmental chambers have shown that IAQ parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO2, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may impact participants’ productivity and cognitive performance. To better understand the influence of VOC at low concentration on cognitive function, this study applied a controlled environmental chamber with a full fresh air system at a high airflow rate (1443 m3/h in total). Toluene, a typical VOC commonly found in the Chinese domestic environment, was evaporated, and mixed with fresh air in the main supply air duct before being sent into the chamber. Neurocognitive tasks, and electroencephalogram (EEG) were used to evaluate the cognitive function of health participants under different toluene exposure levels. Results of environmental factors reflected the advantage of the high-airflow-rate full fresh air system in IAQ background factor control, which is essential for research aiming at the influence of indoor air pollutants at low concentrations. The experiment results indicated that a toluene exposure under the recommended level of the World Health Organization (WHO), 0.26 mg/m3, did not lead to discomfort or a significant decline in task performance but triggered changes in EEG power density patterns.

Study on the Influence of Fresh Air System of Range Hood on Kitchen Air Quality

In this paper, a combination of simulation and testing is used to quantitatively analyze the influence of a fresh air system of indoor range hood on kitchen air quality. The evaluation criteria of kitchen air quality are established based on the air age and air exchange efficiency. The results show that, when the fresh air system is switched to on from off, the indoor mean air age is reduced to 94.7 s from 468.6 s, and the air exchange efficiency is improved to 82.4% from 16.7%. The air quality is upgraded to fresh from moderate pollution. The presented simulation analysis process can provide a guideline for in-depth study of the kitchen air quality and quantitatively assess the kitchen fresh air system.

Analysis of the impact of a fresh air system on the indoor environment in office buildings.

This study conducted objective physical tests and subjective questionnaire surveys related to the operation of a fresh air system in an office building in Beijing before the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The long-term tests on indoor environmental parameters included air temperature, relative air humidity, air velocity, CO2 concentration, PM2.5 concentration, and fresh air volume, and the questionnaire surveyed the satisfaction of office workers in the indoor environment. The results showed that the indoor environmental parameters conformed to the values specified in relevant design standards; however, the satisfaction with the indoor environmental parameters was generally low. The probability of infection of indoor personnel with the virus causing COVID-19 under two existing fresh air system operation modes was calculated and compared, and it was less than 5%. A gray correlation analysis of the measured data with the questionnaire results identified indoor air temperature and quality as the main factors affecting the subjective satisfaction, which was consistent with the results of the questionnaire analysis. A new operation and maintenance method for fresh air systems was proposed for regular epidemic prevention and control to ensure the normal operation of the office building and the health of indoor personnel.

Field study on cooling performance of a heat recovery ground source heat pump system coupled with thermally activated building systems (TABSs)

Both ground source heat pump and radiant system have attracted more and more attention as the examples of Low-exergy utilization to reduce energy consumption in buildings. This study emphasizes on the cooling performance of a real hybrid recovery ground source heat pump system coupled by thermally activated building systems (TABSs) in a residential district in a hot summer and cold winter region. Based on the recorded data in the building energy management system (BEMS) from 2018 to 2020, comprehensive analysis was carried out in the view of exergy. The COP and the exergy efficiency of the entire system can be up to 5.49 and 16%, respectively. The hybrid ground source system with cooling tower improved the operation performance as the condensate water temperature can be limited to below 40 °C. Nevertheless, the cooling tower was sensitive to the surrounding environment, and which caused more exergy destruction in operation. In addition, as the TABS cooling proportion went up the exergy efficiency of the cooling emission system increased as well as the building cooling load. However, the exergy product of the energy source system did not well match the demands in the end. The TABS and fresh air system simultaneously shared with the energy system whose chilled water temperature was 7–10 °C. The benefit of TABSs in low-exergy utilization cannot be taken. Thus, an energy system with multiple temperatures is recommended. The chilled water with higher temperature can be provided to TABS to improve the system exergy efficiency further; while the water with lower temperature can be supplied to the air handle units for dehumidification.