Ventilative cooling can be an attractive and energy efficient solution to avoid overheating of both new and renovated buildings. Ventilation is already present in most buildings through mechanical and/or natural systems and it can both remove excess heat gains as well as increase air velocities and thereby widen the thermal comfort range. As cooling becomes a need also outside the summer period the possibilities of utilizing the free cooling potential of low temperature outdoor air increases considerably.

This has led to the development of a new international IEA EBC project proposal with the following scope: “How and when can strategies for increased ventilation reduce the cooling load while maintaining good environmental quality?”

The new project is intended to address both residential and non-residential buildings, however, these two sectors will be treated separately because the issues, challenges and possible solutions are very distinct. It is also intended to address both new constructions and renovated buildings. The objectives of the project are to address the design challenges related to prediction and evaluation of the cooling need and the risk of overheating in high performance buildings as well as to develop new attractive ventilative cooling solutions.

The very first project definition workshop is held October 8-9, 2012 in Copenhagen just before the AIVC/Tightvent conference. It is expected that the next workshop will be held in March/April 2013. Please contact Professor Per Heiselberg (ph@civil.aau.dk), Aalborg University, Denmark for further information.

Read the full article written by Per Heiselberg (Aalborg University, Denmark) in the 1st venticool newsletter.