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A Trombe wall with thermal catalytic blinds (TC-Blind/TW) for indoor heating/cooling, air purification and shading was proposed. In this paper, we has fully explored the advancement and feasibility of the system from thermal catalytic material preparation and performance testing, system construction and system steady state experiment testing, system heat-mass transfer model establishment and verification, and finally to the analysis of system operation strategy. The main conclusions are as follows: Firstly, thermal catalytic material MnO x -CeO 2 behaved excellent heating and purification performance, the formaldehyde degradation followed L-H model. Secondly, the thermal efficiency and formaldehyde single-through conversion of system during the daytime were between 35%-55% and 32%–42%, respectively. Thirdly, the established heat-mass transfer model had the high accuracy, with the maximum RSMD of 0.8%. Finally, the blinds turning angle has a great influence on the system performance, then the optimal annual operation angles in four cities were suggested. Take Beijing as an example, the annual generated clean air was 11355.6 m3/m2, the reduced heating and cooling loads were 341.2 and 318.3 MJ/m2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of photovoltaic (PV) technology on double-skin glass ventilation wall can increase its functionality and solar utilization efficiency. However, PV modules don't make multi-effect use of heat while generating electricity. Considering that the combination of thermal catalytic (TC) and PV blinds can solve this problem and achieve synergy effect, a novel double-skin glass ventilation wall with PV blind integrated with thermal catalytic materials (PV&TC-blind DSF) that realized power generation, heating and air purification was proposed. In this paper, the PV&TC blinds were designed. Then electrical, thermal and purification performances were comprehensively investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The main results are: (1) The optimal average electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and formaldehyde single-through conversion were 9.80 %, 56.98 % and 30.89 %, respectively. (2) The established model well fitted experimental data with the maximum RSMD of 7.2 %. (3) The blind angle affected significantly on the thermal and purification performance of the wall, but had relatively small impact on the electrical performance. (4) When the system operated at optimal turning angles, the total reduced heating/cooling loads by the system were 440.6 MJ/m2 and 395.1 MJ/m2, respectively. The annual electricity generation and generated clean air volume were 264542.8 kWh/m2 and 23947.1 m3/m2, respectively. • Proposed a novel a novel double-skin glass ventilation wall with PV blind integrated with thermal catalytic materials. • Synergistic effect between electrical energy generation and thermal catalytic air purification for proposed wall. • Experimental and numerical investigations on the proposed wall under different blind angles were conducted. • The optimal blind operating angles for proposed wall in Nanjing from January to December were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visually impaired person typically faces countless challenges throughout their daily activities. These challenges can include medication safety and efficacy. Few studies have addressed the issues of safety and pattern of medication usage in visually impaired patients, or the need to apply Braille labeling to medications dispensed to these patients. To explore the medication use pattern in severely visually impaired and blind patients living in Saudi Arabia, and to evaluate the need for Braille labeling on medication dispensed to these patients. The merits of the proposal and its alignment with national regulations were evaluated and the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This cross-sectional study was conducted through open- and closed-ended questionnaires that were distributed to 215 visually impaired people, aged 18 years and above, dispersed throughout different cities within the kingdom. The sample population was equally distributed in terms of sex. The majority of the participants were young with a college degree. More than half of the participants were unable to identify the name, dose, expiry date, instructions and interactions of their medication, and the respondents usually relied on their caregivers. 91% of the respondents agreed that application of Braille labeling on their medications would improve the quality of their therapy and help them overcome some of their difficulties. This study investigated medication usage patterns in the visually impaired in Saudi Arabia. These patients face considerable challenges to any efforts to self-administer their own medication and are heavily reliant on caregivers. The current methods for dispensing medications to this population, (and current regulations) do not sufficiently meet their health information needs. The study highlighted the necessity of applying Braille labeling to medicines prescribed to the visually impaired. A reconsideration of the current regulations regarding the application of Braille labeling to medications is warranted. The use of Braille labeling on medications may improve drug treatment regimes, minimize medications errors, and promote independence in these individuals (through self-administration of medications). The addition of technology to the printed Braille labeling can advance the pharmaceutical care services provided and improve the life quality of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shading devices installed on windows are designed to reduce solar radiation transmission into the space by absorbing and reflecting radiation rays. This study investigates the effect of shading and day-lighting controls when applied on fully-glazed facades on the annual energy savings in hot climates. For this reason, a dynamic simulation model of a space containing brise soleil and venetian blinds added to the façade exterior surface was developed on EnergyPlus and validated experimentally for office spaces located in Doha, Qatar. Comparison between the experimental and simulation models showed maximum discrepancies of 11.8% and 13.5% in surface temperature and peak space thermal load, respectively. Upon validation, the simulation model was used to evaluate the annual energy savings associated with the use of shading devices on both south and north-oriented façades in Qatar. For the south-oriented façade, brise soleil and fixed blinds with 90° with the vertical were found to save 18.6% and 20.6% of the space energy demands respectively, while mitigating glare risks. As for the north façade, the addition of brise soleil and blinds saves 7.7% and 9.1% of the space total energy demands respectively and removes all risks associated with glare. The adoption of a shading control for the blind angle and day-lighting control for the electric lights was found to save 26.1% of the space total energy without compromising the comfortable glare limit. This control strategy allows the occupants to benefit from the fully-glazed façade while still upholding the indoor space requirements in terms of outdoor visual comfort and day-lighting entrance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the CommONEnergy project the interoperation and optimization of active systems in shopping malls is performed by using an intelligent Building Energy Management System (iBEMS) which integrates open communication protocols for speaking with several industrial systems. The iBEMS assures the communication of several systems using open communication protocols in order to transfer the required information while on the same time provides a Human to Machine Interface (HMI) for the control and monitoring of the connected systems. In parallel the iBEMS stores historical values for future comparison of the performance. With the operation of the iBEMS the energy manager of a building can overview in real time the operation of all the systems’ components and take decisions which can assist with the proper operation. In parallel the programming routines of the iBEMS adjust automatically the operation of the systems using inputs from the installed sensors and from external data (e.g. weather forecast). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the light-switch and blinds use behaviours in ten private offices were analyzed with concurrent solar irradiance, ceiling illuminance, and occupancy data. Upon this analysis, an adaptive lighting and blinds control algorithm was formulated. The algorithm learns occupants' illuminance preferences from their light switch-on and blinds closing behaviours, and employs this information to determine the photosensor setpoints to switch off lighting and to open blinds. The algorithm was implemented inside controllers serving five private offices and a controls laboratory – a shared office space with a standalone controls network. Alternative control scenarios were analyzed through integrated daylighting and occupant behaviour simulations. The results indicate that the use of an adaptive lighting and blinds control algorithm developed in this paper can substantially reduce the lighting loads in office buildings – without adversely affecting the occupant comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various lighting and blind control methods have been presented to improve user comfort and reduce energy consumption simultaneously. However, there are opportunities to improve control performances by introducing more recent information and machine learning technologies which allow more comprehensive consideration of the balance between user comfort and system energy consumption. To be more specific, in terms of user comfort, unified set-point may not be desirable since different people may have different comfort preferences. In terms of energy consumption, the excessive cooling load of HVAC system should be considered in summer when utilizing solar incidence to reduce the lighting electricity consumption. The setting of the blind slat angle still has great room to improve instead of the cut-off angle. Moreover, users’ demands are not fully met, so sometimes they still want to override the automated control. Thus, a closed-loop satisfaction based system is developed in this paper, specifically we introduce an improved reinforcement learning controller to obtain an optimal control strategy of blinds and lights. It could provide a personalized service via introducing subjects perceptions of surroundings gathered by a novel interface as the feedback signal. The proposed system was implemented on a practical test-bed in an energy-efficient building. Compared with the traditional control, it can provide a more acceptable and energy-efficient luminous environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of building automation in the work environment, there is a risk that occupants lose their sense of control when decisions on environmental aspects such as temperature, electric lighting, and daylight are made by technology. This paper reports two experiments in which we investigated the effect of the level automation and the type of system expressiveness on users' satisfaction with an automated blinds system installed on a virtual window. An expressive interface was designed to communicate the status and intentions of the blinds system to the building occupants. The results show that the addition of the expressive interface increased user satisfaction compared to the original system. Moreover, users made less corrections after automatic blind adjustments and adherence to the system suggestions increased. These results demonstrate the potential of expressive interfaces to increase user's acceptance of automated blinds and thereby realizing the anticipated energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As a result of the technological advances and increasing focus on energy efficient buildings, simple forms of building automation including automatic motorized blinds systems found their ways into today's office environments. In a five-month field study, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate how office workers in 40 offices experience and use automatically controlled exterior venetian blinds with options for manual override and switching off the automatic mode. In total, 3433 blinds adjustments (average of 0.86 per office per day) were recorded, of which 73.6% was initiated by the user. Significant correlations between weather parameters and blind adjustments were found, including sunshine duration and user-triggered lowering of blinds (R = 0.354), cloud cover and user-triggered lowering of the blinds (R = −0.281), and outside temperature and user-triggered raising of blinds (R = −0.266). Four blinds usage profiles were identified and the underlying motivations for the different users were described. In the majority of offices, the automatic mode was switched off. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To provide for more detailed and accurate load calculations and energy simulation of buildings, the effect of blinds on convection heat transfer at interior window surfaces was analyzed. Based on full-scale experiments in an office-size chamber for various diffuser locations, window geometry, and blind angles, the study provides convective heat transfer models for natural convection, forced convection due to a ceiling slot diffuser, and forced convection due to a floor register. Results are given in the form of correlations which relate either supply volumetric flow rate or room-surface temperature difference to convection heat transfer at both window and exterior wall surfaces. Results show that heat transfer is dependent on supply flow rate, blind angle, diffuser location and window configuration. Results are compared against previously reported data and show that convection in cases with blinds follows the same form as often arises in turbulent forced convection situations, but differs appreciably in magnitude from previously given models for bare windows. These results should allow for more accurate simulation of energy use in buildings and contribute to the construction of more energy efficient buildings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Daylighting is one of the potential passive strategies to improve energy performance and users'' visual comfort in existing offices without expensive installation and operational cost. For the first time, empirical study of daylighting performance was conducted for an existing typical government office building designed by Public Work Department (PWD) in Malaysia. Daylight field measurement of external illuminance and internal work plane illuminance was carried out. The findings demonstrated that internal daylight level in the building was insufficient despite the abundance of external daylight availability in the tropics which can achieve as high as 130 klx. Validation of simulation using Radiance-based software against the measurement under actual tropical sky indicated significant Pearson correlation of 0.709. Then, modification of window glazing and shading devices was experimented with simulation. The findings evidenced that light shelf increased daylight distribution uniformity, but failed to reduce glare on vertical plane when direct sunlight patches occurred. Integration of light shelf with partial blinds tilted at 45° showed improved performances of mean Guth Visual Comfort Probability (VCP) and CIE Glare Index. This paper concludes that simple modification of window glazing and shading device is able to provide significant improvement in tropical daylighting quantity and quality for visual comfort. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is no comprehensive consensus about the way people operate blinds or the motivating factors that influence their decisions. However, there is a substantial body of research, encompassing data from more than 50 buildings worldwide, that offers guidance. Patterns of blind use can affect the energy consumption of buildings substantially and therefore energy and daylighting simulations that do not account properly for these blind use patterns will have greater error. An outline for a new more nuanced model for simulation-based blind control is offered. Specifically, this paper reviews the energy implications of blind use, blind occlusion and rate of change from field studies, specific quantitative measures influencing user blind control, investigations into user acceptance of automated blind control, and finally conclusions and knowledge gaps are summarized and suggested next steps for research are provided. Addressing these gaps is critical for the continued progress of the energy efficiency movement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]