Different approaches could include use of a building's thermal mass in combination with night cooling or heating or cooling by pipes embedded in floors, walls or ceilings. Such systems are often associated with indoor temperatures that drift during the day.
While drifting temperatures may save energy, their impact on occupant health and productivity are unknown.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is funding research to study the impact of drifting temperatures on thermal comfort, health and productivity.
ASHRAE recently approved funding for seven research projects in the areas of indoor air quality, comfort and health, design tools, food processing and preservation, and operating and maintenance.
Among them is Occupant Responses and Energy Use in Buildings with Moderately Drifting Temperatures, 1269-RP. The research will be conducted at the International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark, by principal investigators Jørn Toftum, Ph.D., and Bjarne Olesen, Ph.D.
Other ASHRAE approved projects are:
Design Tools
• Application Manual for Non-Residential Load Calculations, 1326-RP, Jeffery Spitler, Ph.D., P.E., Oklahoma State University, 27 months, $174,787, TC 4.1, Load Calculation Data and Procedures.
• Environmental Weather Loads for Hygrothermal Analysis and Design of Buildings, 1325-RP, Jensen Zhang, Ph.D., 18 months, Syracuse University, $128,000, TC 4.4, Building Materials and Building Envelope Performance.
• Experimental Evaluation of the Heat Transfer Impacts of Tube Pitch in a Highly Enhanced Surface Tube Bundle, 1316-RP, Bruce Babin, Kansas State University, 30 months, $179,128, sponsored by TC 8.5, Liquid-to-Refrigerant Heat Exchangers.
Operating and Maintenance Tools
• Tools for Evaluating Fault Detection and Diagnostic Methods for Air-Handling Units, 1312-RP, Jin Wen, Ph.D., Drexel University, 2 years, $113,623, sponsored by TC 7.5, Smart Building Systems.
IAQ, Comfort and Health
• Quantification and Ventilation Effectiveness for Air Quality Control in Plant and Animal Environments, 1301-RP, Xinlei Wang, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2 years, $123,529, TC 2.2, Plant and Animal Environment.
For more information, go to www.ashrae.org.
