Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society

Extending set-point temperatures in residential buildings has a significant impact on energy demand and thermal comfort. European governments have adopted this strategy to mitigate the energy crisis. Previous studies attempting to quantify energy savings by extending set-point temperatures were limi...

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Main Authors: Rafael Monge Palma, José Sánchez Ramos, María del Carmen Guerrero Delgado, Teresa Rocío Palomo Amores, Laura Romero Rodríguez, Servando Álvarez Domínguez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/12/7020
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author Rafael Monge Palma
José Sánchez Ramos
María del Carmen Guerrero Delgado
Teresa Rocío Palomo Amores
Laura Romero Rodríguez
Servando Álvarez Domínguez
author_facet Rafael Monge Palma
José Sánchez Ramos
María del Carmen Guerrero Delgado
Teresa Rocío Palomo Amores
Laura Romero Rodríguez
Servando Álvarez Domínguez
author_sort Rafael Monge Palma
collection DOAJ
description Extending set-point temperatures in residential buildings has a significant impact on energy demand and thermal comfort. European governments have adopted this strategy to mitigate the energy crisis. Previous studies attempting to quantify energy savings by extending set-point temperatures were limited due to a lack of building stock characterisation, poor climate representation, and the absence of uniformity in the reference set-point temperature. In this study, a large-scale simulation was conducted, which included six building models covering 90% of southern Europe Köppen–Geiger climates, where 20 °C and 25 °C were the reference heating and cooling set-point temperatures, respectively. This also accounted for the thermal characteristics of the older building stock, built more than 15 years ago, and the new buildings built under the latest version of Directive 2010/31/EU. The results show that reducing the heating set-point temperature by 1 °C can lead to an average demand reduction of 20%, while raising the cooling set-point temperature by 1 °C can lead to a 25% cooling demand reduction. The oldest building stock shows a higher absolute savings potential. Adjusting thermostats by 1 °C in Spanish homes during the winter season could represent a saved natural gas volume of 1.8 million normal cubic meters, nearly 40% of the gas demand of households in 2022. These findings suggest that extending the set-point temperatures in residential buildings can be a promising strategy towards a more energy-efficient society without compromising the occupant’s thermal comfort.
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spelling doaj.art-f0a251ce78fb4186af83cb0fc217e1f82023-11-18T09:07:51ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-06-011312702010.3390/app13127020Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive SocietyRafael Monge Palma0José Sánchez Ramos1María del Carmen Guerrero Delgado2Teresa Rocío Palomo Amores3Laura Romero Rodríguez4Servando Álvarez Domínguez5Grupo Termotecnia, Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainGrupo Termotecnia, Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainGrupo Termotecnia, Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainGrupo Termotecnia, Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainGrupo Termotecnia, University of Cadiz, 10, 11519 Puerto Real, SpainGrupo Termotecnia, Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainExtending set-point temperatures in residential buildings has a significant impact on energy demand and thermal comfort. European governments have adopted this strategy to mitigate the energy crisis. Previous studies attempting to quantify energy savings by extending set-point temperatures were limited due to a lack of building stock characterisation, poor climate representation, and the absence of uniformity in the reference set-point temperature. In this study, a large-scale simulation was conducted, which included six building models covering 90% of southern Europe Köppen–Geiger climates, where 20 °C and 25 °C were the reference heating and cooling set-point temperatures, respectively. This also accounted for the thermal characteristics of the older building stock, built more than 15 years ago, and the new buildings built under the latest version of Directive 2010/31/EU. The results show that reducing the heating set-point temperature by 1 °C can lead to an average demand reduction of 20%, while raising the cooling set-point temperature by 1 °C can lead to a 25% cooling demand reduction. The oldest building stock shows a higher absolute savings potential. Adjusting thermostats by 1 °C in Spanish homes during the winter season could represent a saved natural gas volume of 1.8 million normal cubic meters, nearly 40% of the gas demand of households in 2022. These findings suggest that extending the set-point temperatures in residential buildings can be a promising strategy towards a more energy-efficient society without compromising the occupant’s thermal comfort.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/12/7020energy crisisenergy policythermostatpotential energy savingsresidential buildings
spellingShingle Rafael Monge Palma
José Sánchez Ramos
María del Carmen Guerrero Delgado
Teresa Rocío Palomo Amores
Laura Romero Rodríguez
Servando Álvarez Domínguez
Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
Applied Sciences
energy crisis
energy policy
thermostat
potential energy savings
residential buildings
title Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
title_full Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
title_fullStr Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
title_full_unstemmed Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
title_short Extending the Thermal Comfort Band in Residential Buildings: A Strategy towards a Less Energy-Intensive Society
title_sort extending the thermal comfort band in residential buildings a strategy towards a less energy intensive society
topic energy crisis
energy policy
thermostat
potential energy savings
residential buildings
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/12/7020
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