Cost of energy consumption of an air conditioning system to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in a bank building

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted lives worldwide, necessitating a fresh approach to creating safe environments to prevent disease resurgence. This study focuses on assessing the energy requirements for establishing a safe environment in a bank, a crowded indoor setting prone to disease transmission. Six cities, representing two different climates across three countries, were selected for simulation. The simulation results demonstrate that implementing mechanical ventilation at a rate of 2 air changes per hour reduces the average infection risk by 61.5 % compared to natural infiltration. This highlights the effectiveness of mechanical ventilation systems in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in indoor spaces. Additionally, the estimated cost of maintaining this safe environment in the best-case scenario is $287.3 per year. These findings provide valuable insights for decision-makers and facility managers when considering resource allocation and mitigation strategies. Furthermore, it is notable that cities located in the cold semi-arid climate require, on average, 67.5 % more energy to create a safe environment compared to cities in the hot desert climate. This indicates the importance of tailoring safety measures to regional climatic conditions.

Keywords

• Building energy consumption
• Building energy cost
• Air conditioning system
• SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
• Virus airborne transmission