Seminar 14-2 -- Why Are We Overcooling Buildings in Summer? PDF

Studies conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon have found that many office buildings are being overcooled in summer, consuming large amounts of energy and making occupants uncomfortable and even sick. The summer overcooling happens in both hot/humid and hot/dry climates, in the U.S., Singapore, and elsewhere in the world. In this seminar, panelists discuss engineering challenges that may necessitate a relook at the way air-conditioned buildings in such climates are designed. The presentations 1) look at the possible reasons why the summer overcooling is happening, from social, cultural, operational, system and control design, and psychological and physiological reasons, 2) review some of the fundamental issues of cooling and dehumidification facing the HVAC designer, leading to the inevitable oversized system and its undesirable consequences in terms of an overcooled indoor environment, 3) discuss possible solutions to creating a more thermally comfortable and healthy indoor environment that can also save energy, and 4) discuss how ASHRAE and international standards might be involved to stop the summer overcooling happening in practice.

Oversized Air-Conditioning Systems and Overcooled Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates
Chandra Sekhar, Member
This product contains: Recorded Presentation Audio (mp3) Slides (pdf)

International Perspectives, Avoidance of Overcooling and Developing Appropriate Thermal Comfort Standards
Kenneth C. Parsons, Ph.D., Member
This product contains: Recorded Presentation Audio (mp3) Slides (pdf)

Why Is it too Cold? Explanations and Solutions
Gwelen Paliaga
This product contains: Recorded Presentation Audio (mp3) Slides (pdf)