Análise de estratégias para Retrofit de uma edificação educacional com objetivo de otimizar o consumo de energia elétrica e prover conforto térmico aos ocupantes

Abstract

The thermal, sound, light, and air qualities in indoor environments have a direct influence on human capabilities and, to ensure that conditions favorable to the performance of occupants are met, artificial lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, and sound isolation systems are used in the building. However, in addition to the impact on occupants, these systems have great relevance in energy consumption. Not in vain, the use and operation of buildings correspond to approximately 60% of the consumption of all electricity used globally. These aspects denote the importance of designing or retrofitting built environments to use effective and efficient systems to attend, with focus, the human factor. This study evaluates different strategies for retrofitting one of the UTFPR – Pato Branco blocks to provide a comfortable and healthy environment for its occupants that is also efficient in terms of electricity consumption. The impact of the proposed measures was compared with the existing building through thermoenergetic simulations carried out using the EnergyPlusTM software. With the simulations’ results, the thermal comfort compliance was evaluated through the PMV/PPD method, according to the international standard ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2020. Additionally, the building’s current indoor air quality was assessed, and an air renewal system was proposed to improve the conditions of occupied spaces. Finally, the proposed strategies that presented the best performance were compiled into two different scenarios which provided a reduction of 35% and 21% in the building’s annual electricity consumption, while providing thermal comfort to its occupants.