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Assessment and Optimization of Indoor Climate in an Office Building: Balancing Comfort and Energy Efficiency
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Civil and Architectural Engineering, Sustainable Buildings.
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesisAlternative title
Assessment and Optimization of Indoor Climate in an Office Building: Balancing Comfort and Energy Efficiency (English)
Abstract [en]

This thesis investigates the indoor climate and energy use of the B-building at KTH using IDA ICEsimulations. A total of four zones were investigated: three offices and one corridor. The resultsindicate that the current state is characterized by severe overheating, leading to significant thermaldiscomfort and very high levels of occupant dissatisfaction. Therefore, three strategies were analyzed:window improvements, external shading, and a hydronic underfloor heating and cooling system, aswell as a combined scenario integrating all strategies.The findings reveal that passive strategies, such as improved glazing and shading, reduce solar gainsand peak loads, but are insufficient to ensure acceptable comfort conditions. The active strategy,represented by the hydronic underfloor heating and cooling system, improves thermal comfort in theinvestigated zones, including the corridor. However, the combined scenario proved to be the mosteffective solution, lowering operative temperature peaks and reducing dissatisfaction.In conclusion, multiple strategies are required to address the severe overheating, as no single measurecan fully achieve acceptable comfort. The analysis also showed that the purchased energy increased;however, at the same time, the operative temperature was reduced to acceptable levels. Therefore, anintegrated approach combining both passive and active measures is needed to achieve a balancebetween comfort and energy efficiency.

Abstract [sv]

Denna studie undersöker inomhusklimatet och energianvändningen i B-huset vid KTH med hjälp avIDA ICE-simuleringar. Totalt analyserades fyra zoner: tre kontor och en korridor. Resultaten visar attdet nuvarande tillståndet kännetecknas av kraftig överhettning, vilket leder till betydande termisktobehag och mycket höga nivåer av missnöje bland brukarna. Därför analyserades tre strategier:fönsterförbättringar, yttre solavskärmning samt ett system med golvvärme och -kyla, samt ettkombinerat scenario som integrerar alla strategier.Resultaten visar att passiva strategier, såsom förbättrat glas och solavskärmning, minskarsolinstrålning och de höga operativa temperaturerna, men är otillräckliga för att säkerställa acceptablakomfortförhållanden. Den aktiva strategin, representerad av systemet med golvvärme och -kyla,förbättrar den termiska komforten i de undersökta zonerna, inklusive korridoren. Det kombineradescenariot visade sig dock vara den mest effektiva lösningen, eftersom det sänkte de höga nivåerna ioperativ temperatur och minskade missnöjet.Sammanfattningsvis krävs flera strategier för att hantera den allvarliga överhettningen, eftersom ingenenskild åtgärd fullt ut kan uppnå acceptabel komfort. Analysen visade också att energianvändningenökade, men samtidigt reducerades den operativa temperaturen till acceptabla nivåer. Därför behövs ettintegrerat scenario som kombinerar både passiva och aktiva åtgärder för att uppnå en balans mellankomfort och energieffektivitet.2

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Series
TRITA-ABE-MBT ; 25686
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-371914OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-371914DiVA, id: diva2:2007952
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Available from: 2025-10-21 Created: 2025-10-21

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