Assessment of the Energy Impact of Using Building Integrated Photovoltaic and Electrochromic Glazing in Office Building in UAE

The aim of this research was to explore the energy benefits and future potential of using Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) and Electrochromic Glazing (EG) within the climatic conditions of the city of Abu Dhabi. The Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES-VE) energy modeling software was used to assess the energy performance, mainly the reductions in HVAC and lighting, for different configurations and compare that to the base case scenario for south, east, west, and north facing facades. The results showed that the BIPV is most advantageous on the south fa?ade while the EC glazing performs best on the north facing windows. Moreover, the change in sensor location increased the energy savings for both cases, although the change was very marginal compared to the change of the glass properties. Using an automated light control system with dimming for both models, compared against the standard on-off lighting mechanism in the base case, the BIPV proves to have a higher total annual energy saving potential for most orientations, upto 33.5% while dynamic EC was best suited for the North orientation resulting in 7.4% reduction in the total annual energy consumption.

Energy Saving Potential Due to Refurbishment of Federal Public Housing in the UAE

This paper, computer energy modeling is used to estimate the potential energy savings of refurbishing existing public federal housing in the United Arab Emirates. Such houses are built by the UAE Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) in five of the seven emirates that make up the UAE federation. The energy modeling was performed using the Integrated Environmental Solutions-Virtual Environment (IES-VE) commercial software. The study covered representative MoPW houses built in the period of 1974-2012. The results indicate potential energy savings upto 30.8% for the case of model 717 when refurbished to 2 Pearls standards compared to the as built configuration. The results showed little benefit in going from 1 Pearl to 2 Pearls refurbishment level. Thus 1 Pearl seems to be the most practical. This shows the high potential for energy, and thus environmental, savings should refurbishment be carried out on the homes built by the MoPW.

Increasing efficiency of atriums in hot,arid zones

This research evaluated the efficiency of Atrium in hot,arid regions and investigated the parameters influencing the total energy consumption of an existing shopping mall in Dubai,UAE using the IES-VE energy modeling software.The parameters tested included:Roof profile,Roof ventilation,Number of floors,glazing’s Light to Solar Gain ratio(LSG)and the Thermal insulation of the building envelope.The impact of using light sensors was also studied.The light sensors and the roof’s thermal insulation resulted in the highest reduction of the atrium’s energy,8.5%and 7.5%,respectively.Increasing the number of floors reduced the energy consumption by 5%per unit area.The roof profile,external wall’s thermal insulation and height of the atrium resulted in similar energy reductions of 3.5%each.The external glazing’s LSG reduced the energy consumption by 3.25%while the roof ventilation resulted in a reduction of 1.3%.The internal glazing’s LSG did not affect the atrium’s total energy consumption.An optimal combination of the parameters studies resulted in an energy reduction of about 20%.Thus,this paper presents the optimal design configuration to reduce the energy consumption of an atrium located in a hot and arid climate.

Evaluation of indoor environmental quality conditions in elementary schools＇ classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

This study presents findings of indoor environmental quality （IEQ） investigations conducted in elementary schools＇ classrooms in the United Arab Emirates （UAE）. Average TVOC, CO2, O3, CO, and particle concentrations measured in the classrooms were 815 pg / m^3, 1605 ppm, 0.05 ppm, 1.16 ppm, and 1730 μg/m^3, respectively. Whereas, local authority known as Dubai Municipality recommended 300 pg/m^3, 800 ppm, 0.06 ppm, 9 ppm, and 150-300 μg/m^3 for TVOC, CO2, O3, CO, and particle, respectively. Dubai Municipality recommended temperature and retative humidity （RH） levels of 22.5 ℃ to 25.5 ℃ and 30%-60%, respectively. Average temperature and RH levels measured in the classrooms were 24.5 ℃ and 40.4%, respectively. Average sound level in the classrooms was 24 dB greater than recommended sound level limit of 35 dB. Six （6） classrooms had average lux levels in the range of 400-800 lux. Two （2） classrooms had average lux levels in the range of 100 200 lux. The remaining classrooms had lux levels around the recommended 300 lux. High occupancy density was observed in majority of the studied classrooms. Observations during walkthroush investigations could

Measuring LEED-NC applicability in design for hospitality

Mounting awareness of climate change in recent years has led the construction industry to initiate new approaches toward sustainable building design, yet stakeholders in hospitality development stilt hesitate to build green. This reluctance is due to perceived high guest expectations of comfort levels and amenity access among these properties. Research was conducted to determine precisely which green building innovations present the most significant barriers to incorporating sustainability into design for hospitality. Average LEED credit imple- mentation rates among 28 existing LEED hotel projects were calculated and compared with average credits employed among common commercial building projects. 15 of those projects＇ designers also offered survey opinions on which sustainable innovations were most commonly avoided in their approaches for hospitality. The results indicate that certain credits do expe- rience decreased popularity among hospitality projects, yet guest comfort was not the only barrier identified. Cost of implementation and local applicability affected by climate and local bylaws were also found as major role players in the selection of credits specific to hospitality design. Conclusions are presented according to the data and recommendations made to support further growth and success in future applications of LEED sustainable design in hospitality.