Resiliency comparison of radiant cooling systems and all- air systems

Abstract

Radiant systems have been proven to be an energy-efficient and resource-effective heating and cooling solution for buildings. A key feature of a thermally active building system (TABS), one type of a radiant cooling system, is its ability to activate and control the thermal mass of the building structure. The advantage of this feature is the peak load shifting effect by the thermal mass, which leads to energy saving compared to a conventional system, e.g., an all-air system. This feature of the radiant cooling system could be particularly beneficial under a heat wave and power outage event. Dynamic building simulations were carried out to quantify the resilience of TABS to heat waves and power outages. An all-air system (i.e., airconditioning) was used as the reference cooling system. The simulations were carried out using EnergyPlus. Future weather files (typical meteorological years and years with heat waves) developed in IEA EBC Annex 80 were used for the simulations. In both HVAC systems. Simulation results for future weather data resulted in a decrease in heating demand and an increase in cooling demand.