Energy savings comparison of two energy saving options

Abstract

The energy consumption in building has sky rocketed during the past decade due to dramatic rise in population, improved standard of living, major time spent indoor and comfort necessities. The primary area of energy consumption in buildings is HVAC system approximately consumes 35-55 % of total building energy. In this paper energy saving prospective of VRF system and building insulation is investigated and paralleled. For this determination, a model office building situated in Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan is modelled and simulated in EnergyPlus software. The simulated results have shown that without applying insulation material zone temperature can reach up to 48 ᴼC. The building was simulated with insulation material on interior and exterior surface of the wall separately to analyze its impact on interior temperature and zone cooling load. The results showed that applying insulation material on the outside surface of the wall is more effective. By using insulation material on the external wall the zone temperature and cooling load will reduce significantly. By installing VRF type air conditioner in place of conventional air conditioners we can save 40-45 % electricity. The most efficient system with a saving potential of about 66-69 % was polyurethane insulated building with VRF type air conditioner.