Assessing the Performance of Building Mechanical Systems in an Office Building

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the performance of building mechanical systems in an office. The mechanical systems include eleven variable air volume (VAV) units that provide outdoor air to the office spaces and induction units that provide heating and cooling to the office spaces. This study presents the data collection, sensor installation, and analyses of the ventilation, heating, and cooling provided to the spaces. Differential pressure transducers, temperature sensors, and heat flux sensors were installed on-site to monitor these systems at every one-minute and five-minute interval. The process of analyzing datasets from these sensors is automated and used to calculate ventilation, heating, and cooling under current building automation sequences of operation. The results of this study will aid our understanding of the impacts of different building mechanical systems, occupancy patters, time of the day on the ventilation, heating, and cooling use for the selected building.