main content

Guidelines & Technical Modules > Key Message: Sustainable Summer Comfort

Recent studies predict a dramatic increase of cooling energy demand in Europe, despite the available knowledge and technologies of passive cooling. The GreenBuilding Partner has to try to search for intelligent ways to reduce the cooling demand through passive cooling technologies and adopting a new definition of sustainable summer comfort based on the adaptive comfort model.

Sustainable summer comfort can be defined as achieving good summer comfort conditions with no or limited use of conventional energy (fossil and nuclear) and through the use of environmentally non-harmful materials.

It can be achieved if the following ten steps are considered when planning, constructing and operating a building:

  1. Define the thermal comfort objectives explicitly, using the Adaptive Comfort model where possible;
  2.  Intervene on the site layout and features of the surroundings of the building which can affect summer comfort;
  3. Control and reduce heat gains at the external surface of the building envelope;
  4. Control and modulate heat transfer through the building envelope;
  5. Reduce internal gains;
  6.  Allow for local and individual adaptation;
  7. Use passive means to remove energy from the building;
  8. Use active solar assisted cooling plants;
  9. If still necessary to reach the stated comfort objectives, use high efficiency conventional active cooling plants;
  10. Train building managers and occupants on how to use, monitor performances and adequately operate and maintain the building.

Useful links.

1. EU – IEE KeepCool Project – “Promotion of sustainable summer comfort in service buildings”

http://www.eerg.it/index.php?p=Progetti_-_Keepcool_II

2. KeepCool toolkit

http://www.ceeeta.pt/keepcool/keepcool.html

3. Field Benchmarking and Market Development for Audit Methods in Air Conditioning (AUDITAC)

http://www.energyagency.at/(en)/projekte/auditac.htm

4. EERAC - "Energy Efficiency in Room Air Conditioners"

http://www.cenerg.ensmp.fr/english/index.html

5. EECCAC - "Energy Efficiency and Certification of Central Air Conditioners"

http://www.cenerg.ensmp.fr/english/themes/mde/index-2.html

6. ECOAIRCON - "Preparatory study on eco-design requirements for room air conditioning appliances"

http://ecoaircon.eu 

Privacy Policy