Optimizing Energy and Indoor Climate Systems in Swimming Facilities

Abstract

This thesis treats the subject of increased energy efficiency in buildings. Swimming facilities, a building type designed for improving public health and well-being, are documented in the literature as having considerable potential for reducing energy consumption. Considering the building type as a complex building category, with all their inherently connected variables and processes, it is important to focus on both the design and the operational phases.

This thesis is proposing a continuous rating system, as an operating tool. This can prevent costly operational flaws by quickly disclosing incidents and making the operation staff aware. In the context of energy use an energy prediction model was developed in this work that represents the baseline for the energy use in a swimming facility. The baseline represented the expected energy use for the considered time period. The model was found to be a powerful tool for continuous supervision of the energy performance of the facility. By applying this model, an operator can quickly reveal possible operational disruptions/irregularities. The energy prediction model produced in this work can easily be deployed either in a spreadsheet or in the building automation reporting system. It is therefore applicable for existing and new buildings which are equipped with thermal and electric energy meters.

Regarding the design phase, this research addressed the paradox in the complexity of the building. While complex buildings such as swimming facilities should be analyzed by dynamic simulation tools in the planning phase, this is seldom done due to the demanding and time-consuming task of modeling such complex systems and phenomena. Therefore, a simplified model for simulation-based design of swimming facilities was developed and compared with a validated detailed model of a swimming pool air handling unit (AHU), which is the most complex device in a swimming facility.

In conclusion, the results of this PhD project can contribute to more sustainable swimming facilities in existing and new buildings.