Search

Ventilation systems are mainly responsible for maintaining the quality of indoor air. Together with thermal comfort maintenance systems, they create appropriate conditions for living, working, learning, sleeping, etc., depending on the type of building. This explains the high popularity of research in this area. This paper presents a review of articles published in the years 2020–2023, which are indexed in the Scopus database and found with keywords "ventilation" and "thermal comfort" in conjunction with the type of building or predominant activity. Finally, 88 selected works for five types of buildings were discussed, namely offices, schools, hospitals, bedrooms, and atriums. Data on publications are summarized in the tables, taking into account the publishing year, country of origin of the authors, and keywords. In this way, the latest directions in research were presented, and research groups dealing with this subject were highlighted. For each type of building, synthetic conclusions were presented, summarizing the results of the analyzed research. This review paper would be helpful for scientists and practitioners in the field of ventilation in order to organize knowledge and in a short time be up to date with the latest research showing how ventilation affects the quality of use of buildings by their users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swimming is a good form of physical activity that keeps swimmers fit and healthy. In countries with cold climates, swimming is allowed only indoors. Since adequate water and air parameters must be ensured in these buildings, they are very energy-consuming. In new buildings, modern solutions can be used, thanks to which technologically advanced energy-saving systems can be used. Unfortunately, in existing buildings, it is not always possible to make technical changes, or they are associated with high financial expenses. In this article, a method of in situ measurement of selected air parameters is proposed, on the basis of which it is possible to suggest scenarios for changes in the control of air technology and parameters in order to achieve energy savings. The easy measurement method was applied in a typical swimming pool building, and energy-saving measurements were taken on the first day to obtain a baseline. Seven scenarios were analyzed that would lead to a reduction in energy consumption without the introduction of new elements into the facility. The main task was to find a solution that ensured adequate thermal comfort in the building. Significant energy savings were achieved in each scenario: 6–47% compared to measured energy consumption. To improve the energy efficiency of swimming pools, especially in the current energy crisis related to the economic and political situation, all methods for reducing the energy demand are desirable. The proposed assessment method will allow for energy-consuming elements and allow for changes in the use of equipment in the swimming pool building. However, the main objective is to maintain the thermal comfort of swimming pool users, as no savings can be achieved at the expense of worsening the feeling of building users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for healthy indoor conditions, the energy crisis, and environmental concerns make building ventilation systems very important today. The elements of ventilation systems to reduce energy intensity are constantly the subject of much scientific research. The most recent articles published in the last three years are analyzed in this paper. Publications focused on the topic of reducing energy consumption in ventilation systems were selected and divided into five key research areas: (1) the aspect of the airtightness of buildings and its importance for the energy consumption, (2) the methods and effects of implementing the concept of demand-controlled ventilation in buildings with different functions, (3) the possibilities of the technical application of decentralized ventilation systems, (4) the use of earth-to-air heat exchangers, (5) the efficiency of exchangers in exhaust air heat-recovery systems. The multitude of innovative technologies and rapid technological advances are reflected in articles that appear constantly and prompt a constant updating of knowledge. This review constitutes a relevant contribution to recognizing current advancements in ventilation systems and may be helpful to many scientists in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A building's energy consumption is assessed considering the energy required for heating, cooling, lighting, and domestic hot water (DHW). Methodologies used to calculate energy certificates in European Union countries consider hot water consumption rates per person or per heated (floor) area, giving wide-ranging values (35–88 dm3/person/day). Using extreme parameters, it is possible to obtain a primary energy index that meets the legal requirements, although unrealistically large proportions of domestic hot water use relative to the total energy balance of the building may marginalize the influence of other components, such as fluctuations in heating, ventilation, or lighting. In the current work, the DHW consumption of three residential buildings was measured to verify the energy consumption for hot water preparation. Investigations were conducted based on the consumption of natural gas for DHW preparation. Experimentally obtained water consumption rates were determined per m2 of a dwelling and per person living in the building. The calculated indicators (0.85 ± 0.005 dm3/m2/day and 27.4 ± 1.4 dm3/person/day) were lower than those used for energy certifications of buildings. The experimentally obtained indicators were used in further theoretical energy assessments of six residential buildings. By adopting the designated indicators, the analyzed buildings met the legally required primary energy value (<70 kWh/m2/year) when using natural gas as a heat source. Applying more realistic DHW consumption values resulted in more accurate energy certifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are different standards and regulations outlining the requirements regarding building air quality as well as in nurseries. These requirements specify air stream supplies and carbon dioxide concentration levels, both of which ensure proper indoor air quality. Mechanical ventilation should be used to maintain acceptable carbon dioxide levels. This article analyses the use of ventilation equipped with decentralized units, which helps secure the well-being of children. This paper proposes and evaluates economically affordable ventilation units. An algorithm for selecting the size of the devices is described by the supplied air stream depending on the number of children present at the nursery. A method of transferring the investment costs related to the assembly of the given units to the parents is proposed. Air quality in terms of CO2 concentrations was based on the following levels: 750 ppm, 1000 ppm, 1500 ppm. This assessment also includes the investment costs resulting from device usage and the costs of electricity consumed by the fans. These results showed the additional costs that assure the air quality improvement do not have to be high (45 PLN/month, ~10 EUR/month) per child attending the nursery. A 3% tuition increase returns the investment costs on mechanical ventilation within four years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air handling units are usually used to maintain the thermal and humidity parameters in indoor swimming pools that are used for lap swimming and recreation. Their use throughout the year consumes much more energy than, for example, air conditioning in residential or office buildings. Their considerable energy consumption is due to the need for their continuous operation to remove moisture gains from the evaporation of water and to heat the air and cover the heat losses of the pool. It is possible to design ventilation devices in such a way that the operating costs will be reduced, and the environmental impact will be significantly reduced. In this article, six different ventilation units in which different heat sources are used to heat the ventilation air have been evaluated; the selection of which was based on the most commonly used solutions. The results of the analysis are aimed to show which of the available heat sources is the most advantageous in terms of global and operating costs, and in terms of low CO2 emissions. Indicators of both the final and primary energy consumption, as well as the operating and global costs, were determined. The recommended solution that was chosen was the one that had both the lowest cost index (18–20% lower than most ecological sources) and the low primary energy index (8–13% higher than most ecological sources). The results showed that a heat pump in the ventilation unit proved to be the most beneficial solution. Unfortunately, this solution is rarely used due to its high investment costs (20% higher). However, the results have shown that the investment cost of using an advanced air handling unit will be recouped in only two to three years. Also, the global cost for units with a heat pump proved to be the lowest, despite high investment cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]