Energy efficiency strategies in a private building in warm subhumid climate

Abstract

The energy evaluation of a private building called CREARH-ART regional center specialized in human reproductive support, Clinic located in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez in the state of Chiapas, where it has a warm sub-humid climate, this building is a product of design of the architectural firm AYB Architects that does not have bioclimatic strategies since its conception.
The main objective was to determine qualitatively and quantitatively the impact of the application of bioclimatic strategies in the CREARH-ART clinic, evaluating the energy factor in order to reduce energy costs. The clinic has a south-west orientation (260 °N) and compact configuration, the strategies applied to the clinic consist of solar protection type louvers on the main facade (the most
critical) consisting of a window and is located to the south and thermal insulation on the roof slab specifically a semi-intensive green roof. The evaluation was carried out experimentally and by thermal simulation in the warm period.
The methodology proposed to find the strategies is based on the Energy Management System that consists of five stages and is designed taking into account the requirements of the NC-ISO 50001: 2011. (CONUEE, n.d.) consequently the design of the experiment was based on the PHVA methodology of continuous improvement (plan-do-check-act) this is a quali-quantitative methodology since visits were made to the clinic to obtain hard data on the energy performance of the building this through surveys and interviews with those in charge of the clinic and experimentally through longitudinal monitoring in the warm period. The monitoring was done with air temperature and relative humidity sensors inside the clinic. For the louvers in the window of the main façade, sensors were installed at the entrance of solar radiation inside the clinic, and for the thermal insulation by roof slab, it was installed on the third level of the clinic. For the thermal simulation, the clinic was compared without the strategies and with strategies; the software used for the simulation
was Design Builder. The results showed that on a typical day in December with a clear sky, the indoor temperature on the first and second levels was 7 °C below the outdoor temperature, being 35 °C outside, and on the third level it was 6 °C lower than outside, and a decrease in the indoor thermal oscillation was also observed. The energy simulation showed a 26% saving in energy consumption when using air conditioning in all areas of the building, excluding restrooms and waiting areas, between the model with strategies and the model without strategies.