This book discusses nocturnal cooling technologies for building applications. Exploiting the natural environment as a renewable and sustainable resource has become a significant strategy for passive energy saving in buildings, and has led to growing interest in the use of passive radiative cooling based on nighttime (nocturnal) and daytime (diurnal) operating periods. Of these, nocturnal cooling is more promising since diurnal cooling is hard to achieve due to the solar radiation effect. As such, this book provides a comprehensive overview of nocturnal cooling for building applications, including a definition, concepts and principles; materials and devices; and cooling systems and configurations.

Following a rapid increase in the use of air conditioning in buildings of all types, the energy demand for powering such devices has become a significant cause for concern. Passive cooling is increasingly being thought of as the best alternative to air conditioning.This book offers the latest knowledge and techniques on passive cooling, enabling building professionals to understand the state of the art and employ relevant new strategies. With separate chapters on comfort, urban microclimate, solar control, ventilation, ground cooling and evaporative and radiative cooling, this authoritative text will also be invaluable for architects, engineers and students working on building physics and low-energy design.Advances in Passive Cooling is part of the BEST series, edited by Mat Santamouris. The aim of the series is to present the most current, high quality theoretical and application oriented material in the field of solar energy and energy efficient buildings. Leading international experts cover the strategies and technologies that form the basis of high-performance, sustainable buildings, crucial to enhancing our built and urban environment.

Energy use in buildings in the EU represents about 40% of the total annual energy consumption. With greater awareness of the need to reduce energy consumption comes a growth of interest in passive cooling, particularly as an alternative to air-conditioning. This book describes the fundamentals of passive cooling together with the principles and formulae necessary for its successful implementation. The material is comprised largely of information and results compiled under the SAVE European Research Programme.

Air Conditioning with Natural Energy is a comprehensive examination of the principles, theory, applications, and energy saving performance of newly developed technologies for air conditioning using natural energy. Based on the latest research and real-world case studies from North America, Europe, and China, the book provides an engineering perspective on the design and application of air conditioning from multiple climates. The book is divided into two parts. Part I examines the range of air conditioning technologies that use natural energy. This includes enhanced treatment technologies for outdoor air such as earth-to-air heat exchanger, fresh air pre-handling system using shallow geothermal energy, as well as newly developed technologies such as pipe-embedded wall, nocturnal cooling wall, and pipe-embedded window systems. With particular focus on applications in China, Part II provides real world case studies from multiple climatic zones, demonstrating the practical application and implementation of these technologies. Each case study analyses the carbon emission reduction potential, energy saving potential and the operational performance of the technologies. Air Conditioning with Natural Energy is an invaluable review of the latest developments in air conditioning technologies for practicing engineers, researchers, and students involved in the design and implementation of HVAC systems or working in the fields of thermal and mechanical engineering and the sustainable built environment. Explains the theory and principles underpinning the latest and most important air conditioning technologies with natural energy Provides a new decision-making index and revised degree hours to evaluate the energy saving potential of different air conditioning technologies with natural energy, helping readers identify the most suitable air conditioning technology for any climate zone Analyzes the energy saving potential of different technologies from real projects in different climate zones and calculates the contribution of carbon emission reduction that can be achieved globally

This book presents an in-depth analysis covering climatic and weather conditions, house and building development history, construction methods and technologies, and environmental conditions. It provides relevant house and building information and highlights recent advances in hot and humid regions, as well as developments in other regions that are relevant to hot and humid climates. The countries in hot and humid regions, which include the tropical countries, the Middle Eastern countries around the Mediterranean, and many countries of Central Asia and Africa, are home to some of the most challenging conditions in the world in terms of house and building design and construction, and in terms of maintaining indoor thermal comfort and air quality in an energy-efficient way. The book’s respective chapters, prepared by expert contributors, cover essential concepts, designs, and construction methodologies for houses and commercial buildings. As such, the book offers a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in architecture and engineering, house and building designers, and building sciences researchers. Building contractors, manufacturers and distributors of building equipment and devices, and government policymakers and legislators will also benefit from the information provided in this book.