Elsevier

Building and Environment

Volume 185, November 2020, 107313
Building and Environment

Evaluating the potential of adaptive comfort approach using historic data to reduce energy consumption in buildings in southern Spain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107313Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Adaptive comfort is analysed using the 786 municipalities in Andalusia.

  • A total of 4 groups to apply adaptive strategies are found with a cluster analysis.

  • The application of adaptive setpoints reduces the required cooling degrees.

  • Design of 27 multilayer perceptrons to obtain the evolution of old data series.

Abstract

The application of adaptive comfort models is among the determinant factors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. This research studies the region of Andalusia (south of Spain). A cluster analysis is applied to 786 Andalusian municipalities, and 4 groups are established according to the potential of adaptive strategies. A town is chosen from each group, and an hourly specific study is conducted for the last 20 years, as well as a daily study of the old time series by using an artificial neural network based on the existing climate data. The possibility of application of the EN 16798–1:2019 standard during the days of the year is analysed, as well as the possibilities of using natural ventilation and the possibility of using adaptive setpoint temperatures in comparison with both 3 fixed heating temperatures and 3 fixed cooling temperatures by considering the energy saving. The results to apply the standard ranged 69.0 and 100% of the days of each year. The possibilities of natural ventilation considered were greater than 10% of the hours of the year in all the assumptions. The energy saving of cooling degrees reveals a greater potential in the area studied than that of heating degrees; this tendency is supported by the study of old temporary series which are part of the climate variation predicted throughout the 21st century.

Keywords

Adaptive comfort
Energy saving
Adaptive setpoint temperature
Natural ventilation
Andalusia

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