Indoor climatic influences on the operation of windows in a naturally ventilated building

Abstract

The control of operable windows plays a significant role in the modification of indoor thermal environment to achieve thermal comfort in the naturally-ventilated buildings. The objective of this study is to determine whether variations in interior thermal conditions can be used to predict the operation of windows. This paper presents results from a case study of window operation in a naturally ventilated office building in Berkeley, California. The open/close states of approximately 9,700 hopper windows were examined. Results show that percentage of open windows varies between different facade orientations. Results show that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the proportion of open windows and interior operative temperature for all facade orientations. The paper discusses the possibility of using indoor temperature as an indicator for predicting percentage window opening in addition to outdoor temperature and outdoor wind speed. Conference Topic: 5 Material and building techniques Keyword: Natural ventilation, operable windows, occupants' control