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With the increase in the stock of old buildings in urban cities, there is an imperative demand to retrofit the old buildings to reduce their energy consumption and also maximize the use of natural daylight to enhance the well-being of the occupants in the buildings. For old commercial buildings, one of the solutions to reduce energy consumption is to reduce the heat transfer through the building envelope to the air-conditioned interior spaces. However, there are very limited solutions to alter the building envelope without the involvement of major construction works. The glass is usually an indispensable part of the building envelope for commercial buildings. Many old commercial buildings in Singapore and several other South-East Asian countries near the equator are fitted with monolithic glass as the window facade due to small variation in outdoor air temperature in the region throughout the year. By converting the monolithic glass facade into a double glazing unit, some energy savings will result, but it is unclear if the benefit is substantial. A new retrofitting solution known as the “ATTOCH Inner Window” or AIW in short, was developed by AGC recently. The retrofitting solution, AIW, basically converts an existing single pane glass facade into a double glazing unit by adding a secondary glass from the interior of the building. With a low-emissivity coated glass as the secondary glass, the effective g-value (solar transmittance) and U-value (thermal transmittance) of the double glazing unit are both reduced. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to evaluate the performance of AIW when subjected to the tropical climate in selected Southeast Asian cities.
Wee Shing Koh; Huizhe Liu; Sivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong; Karthik Pillai; Hirosi Kojima; Yusuke Mori. Evaluation of glazing retrofitting solution for the tropics. Energy and Buildings 2020, 223, 110190 .
AMA StyleWee Shing Koh, Huizhe Liu, Sivanand Somasundaram, Sundar Raj Thangavelu, Alex Chong, Karthik Pillai, Hirosi Kojima, Yusuke Mori. Evaluation of glazing retrofitting solution for the tropics. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 223 ():110190.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWee Shing Koh; Huizhe Liu; Sivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong; Karthik Pillai; Hirosi Kojima; Yusuke Mori. 2020. "Evaluation of glazing retrofitting solution for the tropics." Energy and Buildings 223, no. : 110190.
This paper investigates the effect of an existing façade’s construction (viz. clear/grey/solar film, with and without external shade) and orientation on the performance of low-e (hard coat)-based retrofit double glazing in a tropical climate. The performance of double-glazed façades is characterized by the ability to reduce solar heat gain and the consequent reduction in power consumption of air-conditioning systems. This study involves a real-life test-bedding of a low-e (hard coat)-based retrofit double-glazing façade for a few specific cases—clear glass southeast façade without shade, clear glass southwest façade with external shade, and northwest façade with solar film and external shade. Subsequently, energy modelling simulations were done to analyze other scenarios involving various combinations of façade orientation (north, south, west, and east) and façade material (clear glass, tinted grey glass, clear glass with solar film) with and without external sunshades. The east/west-facing façades had a higher impact on the retrofit solution, and more so when the existing façade was of tinted glass or with solar film. For the case analyzed, with a window-to-wall ratio of 8% (based on overall building envelope), a grey tinted east-facing façade could benefit from annual average HVAC energy savings of up to 5.9%.
Sivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong. Effect of Existing Façade’s Construction and Orientation on the Performance of Low-E-Based Retrofit Double Glazing in Tropical Climate. Energies 2020, 13, 2016 .
AMA StyleSivanand Somasundaram, Sundar Raj Thangavelu, Alex Chong. Effect of Existing Façade’s Construction and Orientation on the Performance of Low-E-Based Retrofit Double Glazing in Tropical Climate. Energies. 2020; 13 (8):2016.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong. 2020. "Effect of Existing Façade’s Construction and Orientation on the Performance of Low-E-Based Retrofit Double Glazing in Tropical Climate." Energies 13, no. 8: 2016.
As more new green buildings are being built, the daunting task of retrofitting old building stock to make them sustainable still exists. This paper discusses primarily about retrofit double glazing, which is easily implementable for old building stock, and discusses other complementary steps to be taken to maximize the energy saving impact of the retrofit double-glazing solution. These include installation of a solar film prior to retrofit installation, with considerations for optimal natural day lighting, active scheduling of air-conditioning systems, and lighting systems as well. It was observed that combination installation of solar film with retrofit double glazing reduces the annual HVAC energy consumption by up to 20%. Active scheduling of compressor operation can further reduce HVAC energy consumption by about 7%. Finally, active lighting control which autonomously adapts according to available daylight can increase the total savings further by up to 17%. In summary, simple, cost effective retrofit solutions leading to an existing building’s annual electricity reduction of 30–40% is demonstrated.
Sivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong. Improving building efficiency using low-e coating based retrofit double glazing with solar films. Applied Thermal Engineering 2020, 171, 115064 .
AMA StyleSivanand Somasundaram, Sundar Raj Thangavelu, Alex Chong. Improving building efficiency using low-e coating based retrofit double glazing with solar films. Applied Thermal Engineering. 2020; 171 ():115064.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSivanand Somasundaram; Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Alex Chong. 2020. "Improving building efficiency using low-e coating based retrofit double glazing with solar films." Applied Thermal Engineering 171, no. : 115064.
Double glazed facades are a well established feature for buildings located in cold ambient climate. In tropical climate there has been some penetration of Double Glazing Units (DGU) to reduce air-conditioning load. However, for existing buildings with older glass (usually having lower thermal insulation and higher solar transmission) a simple retrofit solution is to attach a low-e (hard coat) coated glass internally in the building without an explicit air tight seal. To analyse the proposed retrofit double glazing solution, experiments were conducted in a fully instrumented living lab to observe the performance viz: energy saving potential, Lux levels, and mean radiant temperature. Simulation using an energy model was conducted to estimate the annual energy savings. It is observed that retrofit hard coat low-e double glazing saves up to about 9% of daily energy consumption of Air conditioners (with annual average of 3% for Singapore weather conditions), when installed on all three sides (SE,SW,NW), for clear glass with window to wall ratio of 20% and air change rate of 1 ACH. For the same conditions the annual average energy savings can go up to 7.5% when installed on an existing grey tinted glass.
Sivanand Somasundaram; Alex Chong; Zhang Wei; Sundar Raj Thangavelu. Energy saving potential of low-e coating based retrofit double glazing for tropical climate. Energy and Buildings 2019, 206, 109570 .
AMA StyleSivanand Somasundaram, Alex Chong, Zhang Wei, Sundar Raj Thangavelu. Energy saving potential of low-e coating based retrofit double glazing for tropical climate. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 206 ():109570.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSivanand Somasundaram; Alex Chong; Zhang Wei; Sundar Raj Thangavelu. 2019. "Energy saving potential of low-e coating based retrofit double glazing for tropical climate." Energy and Buildings 206, no. : 109570.
Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Aung Myat; Ashwin Khambadkone. Energy optimization methodology of multi-chiller plant in commercial buildings. Energy 2017, 123, 64 -76.
AMA StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu, Aung Myat, Ashwin Khambadkone. Energy optimization methodology of multi-chiller plant in commercial buildings. Energy. 2017; 123 ():64-76.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu; Aung Myat; Ashwin Khambadkone. 2017. "Energy optimization methodology of multi-chiller plant in commercial buildings." Energy 123, no. : 64-76.
This paper describes the Experimental Power Grid Centre (EPGC) microgrid test facility, which was developed to enable research, development and testing for a wide range of distributed generation and microgrid technologies. The EPGC microgrid facility comprises a integrated electrical and thermal grid with a flexible and configurable architecture, and includes various distributed energy resources and emulators, such as generators, renewable, energy storage technologies and programmable load banks. The integrated thermal grid provides an opportunity to harness waste heat produced by the generators for combined heat, power and cooling applications, and support research in optimization of combined electrical-thermal systems. Several case studies are presented to demonstrate the testing of different control and operation strategies for storage systems in grid-connected and islanded microgrids. One of the case studies also demonstrates an integrated thermal grid to convert waste heat to useful energy, which thus far resulted in a higher combined energy efficiency. Experiment results confirm that the facility enables testing and evaluation of grid technologies and practical problems that may not be apparent in a computer simulated environment.
Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Inam Ullah Nutkani; Chia Meng Hwee; Aung Myat; Ashwin Khambadkone. Integrated Electrical and Thermal Grid Facility - Testing of Future Microgrid Technologies. Energies 2015, 8, 10082 -10105.
AMA StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu, Inam Ullah Nutkani, Chia Meng Hwee, Aung Myat, Ashwin Khambadkone. Integrated Electrical and Thermal Grid Facility - Testing of Future Microgrid Technologies. Energies. 2015; 8 (9):10082-10105.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu; Inam Ullah Nutkani; Chia Meng Hwee; Aung Myat; Ashwin Khambadkone. 2015. "Integrated Electrical and Thermal Grid Facility - Testing of Future Microgrid Technologies." Energies 8, no. 9: 10082-10105.
Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Ashwin Khambadkone; Iftekhar Karimi. Long-term optimal energy mix planning towards high energy security and low GHG emission. Applied Energy 2015, 154, 959 -969.
AMA StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu, Ashwin Khambadkone, Iftekhar Karimi. Long-term optimal energy mix planning towards high energy security and low GHG emission. Applied Energy. 2015; 154 ():959-969.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu; Ashwin Khambadkone; Iftekhar Karimi. 2015. "Long-term optimal energy mix planning towards high energy security and low GHG emission." Applied Energy 154, no. : 959-969.
Sundar Raj Thangavelu; Lakshminarayanan Samavedham. A performance assessment framework for supply chain networks. 16th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering and 9th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering 2007, 24, 709 -714.
AMA StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu, Lakshminarayanan Samavedham. A performance assessment framework for supply chain networks. 16th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering and 9th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering. 2007; 24 ():709-714.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSundar Raj Thangavelu; Lakshminarayanan Samavedham. 2007. "A performance assessment framework for supply chain networks." 16th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering and 9th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering 24, no. : 709-714.