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Energy Efficiency
800
1.0
0.8 25%
600 3760
500 0.6 tr/min
3200
400
2800
300
2400
200 2100
1950
1800
1600
100
80 1400
60 1200
50 1000
40
2000 3000 4000 6000 10000 15000 20000 30000
8000 m3/h
Energy Efficiency
where:
Pheat = energy consumed to heat fresh air
Pelec = electricity consumed by ventilators
In following paragraphs, several examples will be given to clarify the different parameters and their units of the
formulas above.
In a mechanical ventilation system, consumption for heating air generally accounts for 80-90% of total consumption,
compared with 10-20% for ventilator consumption. By contrast, in terms of costs, this relation balances out or reverses
because electricity is significantly more expensive than fuel.
The formulas clearly show the factors that need to be acted upon to limit consumption:
1. Reduce new air flows, qv, to the minimum level required: eliminate uncontrollable infiltrations, guide the
flow of fresh air taking into account actual occupation (detection of presence, CO2 sensor etc.), reduce the
generation of pollutants as much as possible (e.g. VOCs), distribute ventilation circuits standard occupation
areas, do not make equipment too large, prevent all leaks in the air distribution systems and so forth.
2. Minimise Δp charge losses: operate at low speed in the shortest and least turbulent networks possible,
choose suitable filters and maintain them regularly etc.
3. Minimise operating time t: adapt ventilation periods to the periods during which the building is occupied.
4. Use ventilators and motors that have a high ηvent output in the operating area that is used the most.
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Reduce flows
Existing ventilators are often larger than they need to be, often because safety margins were included when calculating
charge losses. These ventilators therefore carry flows that are too great during their entire lifetime. At the end of their
lifetime, they are replaced with an identical ventilator and the problem is perpetuated. An example is given in table.
Example:
A ventilator extracts 1 000 m3/h from an office building that is occupied from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Compared with continuous
operation, adapting the operating hours for the ventilator to the hours during which the building is occupied could
generate the following savings:
Electricity:
0.25 [W/(m3/h)] x 1 000 [m3/h] x 4 130 [h/year] /1 000 = 1 032 [kWh/year] [2]
where:
• 0.25 W/(m3/h) is the power absorbed for a single extraction. For a double-flow installation, the power absorbed
by the ventilators varies between 0.25 (high-performance installation) and 0.75 W (average performance
installation) per m3/h of air transported.
• 4 130 h/year is the number of hours during which the offices are not occupied during the season when
heating is required (35 weeks/year).
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Heating:
0.34 [W/m3.K] x 1 000 [m3/h] x (16 [°C]-5 [°C]) x 4 130 [h/year]/0.7/1 000 = 22 066 [kWh/year] or
2 229 litres of oil or 2 140 Nm3 of (Slochteren) gas per year [1]
where:
• 16° is the heating set temperature when the offices are not occupied and 5° is the assumed local average
external night-time temperature during the season when heating is required
• 0.7 is the efficiency of the boiler
This represents a total financial saving of €735 per year (at €0.3/litre of oil and €0.065/kWh(e) during off-peak
periods). A programmable clock only costs a few tens of euros. However, it should be noted that switching off the
heating over night means that an extra heating demand will be added in the mornings. In practise, an optimal
starting hour needs to be found.
Example:
A 400-mm ventilator has a flow of 8 000 m3/h at 1 000 Pa for 2 500 h/year. The electrical horsepower measured on the
supply for its motor is 4 kW. This ventilator could be replaced by a more efficient ventilator, offering the same flow
with an efficiency of 81% and a shaft power of 2.8 kW, by turning at a speed of 1 950 rpm.
800
1.0
0.8 25%
600 3760
500 0.6 tr/min
3200
400
2800
300
2400
200 2100
1950
1800
1600
100
80 1400
60 1200
50 1000
40
2000 3000 4000 6000 10000 15000 20000 30000
8000 m3/h
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Ventilation and air-conditioning
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If the motor’s efficiency is estimated at 86% and that of the belt drive is 94%, the power that will be absorbed by the
new installation can be estimated at:
2.8 kW / 0.94 / 0.86 = 3.5 kW
The potential saving is therefore:
(4 kW - 3.5 kW) x 2 500 h/year x €0.065/kWh(e) = €81/year
for an investment of approximately €500, representing a payback time of less than four years.
This type of saving is only possible if the operating point is located in the maximum efficiency area for the new
ventilator, which could be difficult if the size of the ventilator is to be maintained.
Stop leaks
In a building, measurements showed that to offer a flow of 650 m3/h in workrooms, the ventilator must propel
1 300 m3/h, i.e. double the flow required. Half of the air propelled by the ventilator therefore never reaches its
destination and is lost through leaks in the building. This is a common situation in systems designed using rectangular
ducts. As a result, the ventilator clearly consumes more energy than is necessary.
Leak flow at
100 Pa(m3/h)
700
600
500
400
300
200
Class A
100
Class B
0 Class C
1 2 3 4 5 6
However, there is no miracle solution because it is extremely difficult to ensure that an existing system is airtight.
The only really effective solution is to replace rectangular ducts with round ducts with joints.
Balance flows
Balancing a ventilation system means guaranteeing the exact flow in each room so as to ensure the atmosphere
is comfortable and air quality is guaranteed. The better the flow balancing, the easier the task of controlling and
optimising the heating system.
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Example:
Calculate the energy contained in 1 m3 of air expelled outside.
Given that air with a temperature of 22°C is expelled outside the building where air temperature is 6°C.
The quantity of heat, Q, contained in this 1 m3 of expelled air is equal to the product of the volume of air multiplied
by the volumetric heat capacity of the air (0.34 Wh/m3°C) and by the difference in temperature between the air
expelled and the air outside (DeltaT).
Q = 0.34 [Wh/m3.°C] x 1 [m3] x (22 [°C] - 6 [°C]) = 5.4 Wh
In fact, the energy lost is proportional to the temperature difference and the humidity rate:
• the hotter the expelled air is (sensible heat loss);
• the more humid the expelled air is (latent heat loss),
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Ventilation and air-conditioning
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22°C
66 KWh
9.1 l heating oil
27.5 KWh
3.6 l heating oil 22°C
40.8 KWh
5.5 l heating oil
Improve maintenance
Maintenance of ventilation systems is a cost that is often forgotten. It is not uncommon to come across installations
with filters or batteries that are so clogged up that the air can barely pass through them or heat economisers that are
bypassed because someone ‘forgot’ to maintain them.
Maintenance also plays a major role in energy efficiency and in the general efficiency of the ventilation installation.
Belt drives deteriorate, leading to a significant drop in efficiency and the dust that collects reduces the efficiency of
ventilators and increases charge losses in the filters and batteries. For example, it can be calculated that a ventilation
system operating in an urban environment and propelling 54 000 m3/h or fresh air, will draw 43 kg of dust per year
into the installation if there are no filters!
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Conclusions
Two situations are possible in an existing building:
• Either the building does not have a special ventilation system. In this case, it is a matter of finding out if
uncomfortable situations (draughts, noise, air quality) would not justify such an installation.
• Or the building already has a ventilation system. In this case, it is a matter of finding out if this system offers
the level of comfort expected and if, at an equal comfort level, it would be possible to reduce the amount of
energy consumed by the installation.
References
[1] CD-ROM Energie+ (version5), Architecture et climat, UCL, 2006
[2] HVAC Systems and equipment, ASHRAE Handboek, Atlanta, 2004
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