BUILDING SERVICES - VI

ASSIGNMENT 2

MAY 30, 2021

GARIMA ARORA
18001006013
Ques. Explain Thermal Comfort Control Strategies and Visual Comfort Control Strategies
and Indoor Air Quality Control Strategies.

WHAT IS THERMAL CONTROL IN BUILDING?

Thermal control helps keep the occupants of a building more comfortable by moderation the
temperatures of the interior surfaces of the building and reducing draft. Additionally, t reduces the
energy consumption of a building for heating and cooling to a fraction of what it would otherwise be

Thermal insulation helps keep a building cooler in summer and warmer in winter by decreasing the
passage of heat through the exterior surfaces of a building. a wide variety of materials are used today as
thermal insulation. These include wood, plastic and metal products

There are three ways that heat is transmitted: -

 Convention
 Conduction: takes place in a fluid medium, such as air or a liquid.
 Radiation: occurs between two objects, not in contact and not shielded from each other.

Building gain or lose heat through these processes. The purpose of thermal control is to slow down heat
gain or loss in order to maintain comfortable interior temperatures while conserving energy.

THERMAL CONTROL STRATEGIES:

a. INSULATION:

Insulation material depends on its physical characteristics, resistance to the floor of heat, and cots.
When choosing a specific type, R-Value is usually the
most important consideration. Application of installation
is as important as material. Installation on walls differ
from installation on roofs or from floor.

Location and placement play a significant role. For

example, roof insulation can be place above the roofing
membrane, between the membrane and the roof deck, and
below the roof deck. Each location requires different type
of insulation.

b. THERMAL BRIDGING:

Heat flow deviates from one-dimensional at corners, parapets,

intersections between different assemblies, etc. When heat flows at a
much higher rate through one part of an assembly than another, the
term thermal bridge is used to reflect the fact that the heat has bridged
over / around the thermal insulation. Thermal bridges become
important when:

 they cause cold spots within an assembly that might cause

performance (e.g., surface condensation), durability or comfort
problems
 they are either large enough or intense enough (highly conductive)
that they affect the total heat loss through the enclosure
 c. HEAT LOSS TO GROUND

The ground temperature under and next to a building is

generally very close to the annual average
temperature. This means that the temperature
difference between the inside of most buildings and
the ground is not that large, although it is much
steadier. Hence less insulation is needed to control
heat flow to or from the ground.

d. AIR LEAKAGE

If cold air leaks out of the building during cold weather, it

is replaced with cold air. This cold air must be heated up
to make it comfortable. In warm weather leaking air is
replaced with hot air that needs to be cooled and
dehumidified.

The use of a complete air barrier system is required to

prevent unintentional air leakage. Air flow can reduce or
bypass thermal insulation in other ways than by just
flowing across the enclosure. Convective loops can form within highly air permeable
insulation or small gaps around insulation.

e. SOLAR RADIATION THRPUGH WINDOWS

Solar gain through windows

exposed to either direct sun, or
reflected sun can dramatically
affect the heat flow in a building.
The solar heat gains coefficient
(SHGC) is the window property
used to rate the amount of energy allowed through windows. The lower the
SHGC, the less solar heat that the window transmits through and the greater
its shading ability. In general, south facing windows in houses designed for
passive solar heating (with roof overhang to shade them in summer) should have windows with a high
SHGC to allow in beneficial solar heat gain in the winter.

f. INTERIOR HEAT GAINS

The interior heat generated by occupants and

activities can be quite important. In cold weather,
this interior heat offsets the heat required to warm
the space. In warm climates this heats adds to the
cooling load.

By employing moderate areas of high

performance windows in a well-insulated opaque
enclosure, many commercial buildings will
require little or no heating in below freezing
weather when occupied.
VISUAL COMFORT
The absence of discomfort at the time of seeing is not enough to measure the visual success of a space.
Things like the rate of blinking, level of glare, or light blindness help to determine the environmental
quality of a room. Other things that are vital to consider include representations of colour, low
reflection, and uniform distribution of light. People do well with clear views to the outside, so it’s also
fundamental to perfect the quantity and location of the openings in the building envelope in order to
control natural light intensity.

ASPECTS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING FOR VISUAL COMFORT

a. ALWAYS PRIORITIZE NATURAL LIGHT

Natural light will always be the most comfortable for human

beings since it is the source of illumination to which our eyes
adapt naturally. Not only does it have a proven impact on
health and well-being. but also generates enormous energy
savings, avoiding the reiterated use of artificial light.

When designing a new project, take full advantage of the orientation of the site and provide users with
the best natural light possible through the correct design of openings. Depending on the specific use of
each room, one should also consider a space’s variation of use at different moments or days.

b. MAP THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT - ILLUMINANCE AND LUMINANCE

 Illuminance, expressed in lux, is the luminous

power that comes from all directions and reaches a
given point, where a specific task will be
performed. When measuring it on a certain surface,
for example on a desk in offices, ensure that the
illuminance reaches 500 lux Values very inferior or
superior to that generate discomfort.
 The Luminance, expressed in candela per square
meter (cd/m2), corresponds to the different
luminous intensities per unit area, emitted or
reflected by the light sources and the surfaces that
surround us. It basically describes the brightness of
light, from the point of view of visual perceptions
and psychological sensations. By measuring it we
can identify the contrasts of light and glare, and understand if the light is evenly distributed or
if it comes from a specific source.

In both cases a Photometer must be used. To measure the Illuminance (lx) it’s called Lux Meter, and to
measure Luminance (cd/m2) it’s known as Luminance Meter.
 c. EVALUATE THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LIGHT

To evaluate the quantity of light, the distribution of light in space and the Illuminance should be measured at
specific and relevant points for the functions that will be carried out in the room. In order to evaluate the quality
of the light, the Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) must be modelled first, which integrates the evaluation of
the daylight levels and the glare, setting as an acceptable range the values that move between 100 and 2000 lux.

Illuminance of 300 lux over 50% of space during more than half of day lit hours and illuminance of 100 lux for
100% of space more than half of the day lit hours.

Daylight autonomy is determined by location, orientation, windows shade and position as well as Window-to-
floor ratio and Visible Light Transmission of the glazing. The following aspects are fundamental to achieve an
effective balance between all these variables:

1. CONSIDER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPENINGS AND SPACE: WINDOW-TO-

FLOOR RATIO
The calculation of the relation between the area of the openings and the area of
the space is called Window-to-Floor Ratio (WFR) and is obtained by dividing
the total area of the openings by the total area of the space associated with
them.

The WFR value must be multiplied by the value of the Visible Light
Transmission of the chosen glass (VLT), to ensure that the design moves
within the thresholds that ensure certain effective levels of visual comfort
(usually a value above 0.15).

2. DECIDE THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THAT MUST PASS THROUGH THE GLASS: VISIBLE
LIGHT TRANSMISSION

The relationship between the openings and the space must be

complemented with the Visible Light Transmission (VLT), which
corresponds to the amount of visible light that passes through the
glass. Glass with VLT of 50% allows 50 percent of light through and
blocks the remaining 50 percent. With this, we can decide to
incorporate large openings in our project and at the same time control
the amount of light that passes through it, while also adding protection
against UV rays and glare.

To achieve effective results, all of

these analyses must be added to
the calculation of other relevant
factors, such as the solar heat
gain coefficient and the U-Value.
AIR QUALITY CONTROL STRATEGIES
A control strategy related to air quality is a set of specific techniques and measures identified and
implemented to achieve reductions in air pollution to attain an air quality standard or goal.

CONSIDERATIONS IN DESIGNING AN EFFECTIVE AIR QUALITY CONTROL STRATEGY

 Environmental: factors such as ambient air quality conditions, relevant meteorological conditions,
location of the emissions source, noise levels, and any ancillary pollution from the control system
itself.
 Engineering: factors such as pollutant characteristics (such as abrasiveness, reactivity and
toxicity), gas stream characteristics, performance characteristics of the control system, and
adequate utilities (for example, water for wet scrubbers).
 Economic: factors such as capital cost, operating costs, equipment maintenance, equipment
lifetime, and administrative, legal, and enforcement costs.

CONTROLLING SOURCES OF POLLUTION

1. POLLUTION PREVENTION APPROACHES to reduce, eliminate, or prevent pollution at its

source, should be considered. Examples are to use less toxic raw materials or fuels, use a less-
polluting industrial process, and to improve the efficiency of the process.

2. THE CLEAN AIR TECHNOLOGY CENTER serves as a resource on air pollution prevention and
control technologies, including their use, effectiveness and cost. Examples are mechanical
collectors, wet scrubbers, fabric filters (baghouses), electrostatic precipitators, combustion systems
(thermal oxidizers), condensers, absorbers, absorbers, and biological degradation.

3. CONTROLLING EMISSIONS RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION can include emission

controls on vehicles as well as use of cleaner fuels.

4. ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, such as emissions trading, banking, and emissions caps can be used.
These strategies may be combined with the "command-and-control" type regulations which have
traditionally been used by air pollution control agencies.

CONTROL STRATEGIES
1. SOURCE CONTROL
Usually the most effective way to improve indoor air quality is to
eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their
emissions.
Some sources, like those that contain asbestos, can be sealed or
enclosed; others, like gas stoves, can be adjusted to decrease the
amount of emissions.

2. IMPROVED VENTILATION
Another approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase
the amount of outdoor air coming indoors.
Most home heating and cooling systems, including forced air heating systems, do not mechanically
bring fresh air into the house. Opening windows and doors, operating window or attic fans, when the
weather permits, or running a window air conditioner with the vent control open increases the outdoor
ventilation rate.

3. AIR CLEANERS
Air cleaners are effective at particle removal. Air cleaners are generally not designed to remove
gaseous pollutants.
The effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it collects pollutants from indoor air
(expressed as a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering
element (expressed in cubic feet per minute).