Parametric Impacts of Metabolic Rate and Occupancy on Internal Thermal Gains in Buildings

Author:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of varying metabolic rate (MR) and occupancy levels on indoor air temperature, interior surface temperatures, and internal thermal gains within a non-ventilated building model. The goal was to evaluate how these parameters influence thermal dynamics and determine which plays a more dominant role. Ventilation was intentionally excluded to isolate the thermal effects of occupants and eliminate external influences. The relative humidity generated by occupants accumulated, causing relative humidity to reach saturation in all scenarios. Since relative humidity showed no variation between cases, it was not included in the analysis. The results demonstrated that both MR and occupancy significantly impacted indoor thermal responses. Higher values of either parameter led to increased temperatures, though their relative influence varied. MR had a stronger effect under low-occupancy conditions, while its impact diminished as occupancy increased. For instance, in scenarios with 50 occupants, the indoor air temperature difference between MR values of 50 and 200 W/person reached 6.7oC. Conversely, increasing occupancy led to more uniform total thermal gains due to expanded heat transfer surface area, especially with 200 occupants. The study concluded that both MR and occupancy need to be considered when modeling indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Additionally, the results indicated that occupancy had a more significant influence on indoor temperature dynamics, particularly due to its role in heat transfer surface area expansion. These findings underscored the critical role of occupancy density in shaping indoor temperature profiles and highlighted the need to account for metabolic activity levels when designing energy-efficient and thermally comfortable building environments.
Funding Information
  • There is no conflict of interest with any person / institution in the article prepared.

This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit: