Thermal comfort monitoring in office buildings: A case study

Abstract

In the framework of EPBD Directive revision, the EU is pushing Member States to pay more attention to IEQ conditions in buildings, by introducing specific requirements to be verified in the calculation methodology implemented in the national building codes. In this paper, the extensive field monitoring of an office building, carried out in the heating, cooling and intermediate seasons of 2022-2023, is described. Main thermo-hygrometric quantities have been measured in different rooms, considering the occupancy profile, users’ behaviour and appliances use. Results showed overheating conditions in offices exposed to the south façade, mainly due to solar radiation and internal heat gains. Surprisingly, north-facing offices with heating terminals running are colder than south-facing ones with HVAC systems turned off. Further differences were found in the temperature analysis of free-floating conditions, showing deviations up to 4 °C on average, between south and north facing rooms. For each room, thermal comfort issues were assessed in accordance with EN 16798-1, by calculating Fanger Indexes (PMV and PPD), and by adaptive method in the HVAC systems off-work periods. These findings represent the first results of an in-depth analysis of thermal comfort and IEQ conditions, aimed at assessing how the IEQ conditions can address the building energy audit, increasing, at the same time, energy performance and IEQ levels.