Low cost IOT device to measure u-value in retrofit building design for construction

Description

ABSTRACT

This work presents building retrofit based on IoT are focused on the efficiency of buildings, measuring the energy consumption and the energy loss to guide building renovation.  The approach presented proposes the integration of WSNs with Ethernet/Internet/XML/Web Service communications into a ‘knowledge and information services’ platform to support energy management which can be accessed via a Web service to support inhabitant actions to reduce energy demand. It is based on the idea of collecting energy information using various wireless devices operating with different communication standards. This is important as there are various communication standards developed for WSNs including ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Wi-Fi, Wireless HART and ISA100.11a. The hardware components which are needed for a system using one specific communication standard cannot be used directly within another system, due to differences in firmware, radio components, communication standards, and in some cases profile parameters.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
• SCOPE / LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0      LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1      OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

2.2      IOT AND SMART RETROFIT

2.3      REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

CHAPTER THREE

3.0          METHODOLOGY

3.1          APPROACH TO IOT

3.2      SENSING AND SENSING PARAMETERS

3.3      NETWORK MONITORING

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1      DATA COLLECTION

4.2      SYSTEM EVALUATION

CHAPTER FIVE

• CONCLUSIONS
• RECOMMENDATION

5.3     REFERENCES

 

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1                                          BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The need to ‘retrofit’ or re-engineering existing buildings has gained growing popularity in recent years. On a worldwide scale, the expanding concentration of our growing human population in urban areas has focused emphasis on cities’ role in mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as accomplishing larger sustainable development goals. Although cities are considered the cause of many severe environmental and resource degradation problems, cities can also provide solutions with ingenuity such as the Internet of Things according to IPCC (2018).

In recent decades, rapid industrialization and technical advancement have resulted in a massive increase in fossil fuel use. The majority of energy consumption is derived from nonrenewable energy sources, which are harmful to the environment. As a result, there is a greater emphasis on reducing nonrenewable energy consumption (EC) on a global scale (Sandberg, 2016. P 26-28). The need to minimize fossil fuel use and CO₂ emissions can lead to improved energy efficiency in existing structures, as well as new building designs. These initiatives might be expanded into energy performance evaluation and monitoring of existing buildings, as well as retrofit techniques (Wilson, 2018. p. 1333-1344).

The net-zero energy building (NZEB) concept has gained popularity over the last decade as a way to improve energy efficiency within the building sector and as a model for creating sustainable cities. In Nigeria, considering the significant element of their high EC, it is preferable to incorporate the NZEB idea into commercial retrofit, as this will assist both the conservation of embodied construction energy and the decrease of operating energy (Rosenow, 2017). Overall performance may be improved by updating and refurbishing existing buildings, which opens up new opportunities to revitalize the huge inventory of buildings and benefit local economies in the long term (Jermyn, 2016. p. 522-534). Typically, achieving NZEB entails improving building enclosures, lighting reduction, electric loads, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and, passive layout approaches, allowing for the needed energy balance to be balanced with renewable energy sources such as wind turbines or solar photovoltaics.

Achieving net-zero energy objectives for an existing structure is a more motivating aim than new construction because of more constraints imposed on existing buildings. In most nations across the world, total EC for the building industry is about 40%. With the introduction of new technologies, operational challenges have increased, and it has become necessary to select the best plans and devise methods to reduce EC in the building sector (Tetlow, 2017. p. 187-196). On the other hand, the interplay among layout factors, HVAC systems, weather changes, distinct users, etc., is very complex and can be observed best by simulating all elements interfering in building energy performance. This can be achieved by using software applications but many different types of software applications have emerged in this area, and they must be carefully chosen (Tetlow, 2017. p. 187-196).

In a dry and cold region, Dodoo et al. [2017] employed an energy plus tool to model the heating and cooling loads of a building. When the results were compared to the real data, it was discovered that the difference in cooling and heating loads was 5% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, Dodoo et al. [2017] performed a critical analysis on the cooling system of a building under various climatic circumstances for energy and comfort assessment. Liu et al. (2016) investigated natural ventilators with a home construction design function in Rasht, Iran, and discovered that natural wind ventilation may be utilized with appropriate architecture.

The practical challenge of existing building retrofit is regarded as one of the most important problems for reducing energy consumption and  greenhouse gas  emissions. It also plays a critical role in enhancing a nation’s energy security, reducing vulnerability to energy prices, and increasing human comfort. Above and beyond these uncertainties, changes in climate, services, human behaviour, government legislation, and so on, have an indirect or direct impact on the selection of retrofit technology (Bonakdar, 2017. P. 39). Other problems that create interruptions in operations include financial constraints, extended payback periods, and building owners’ willingness to pay for retrofits. Retrofitting or modifying existing buildings not only meets functional requirements but also significantly reduces costs, energy consumption, occupant well-being, and environmental effects.

Appropriate long-term decisions for building retrofit and effectiveness can significantly increase thermal performance and hence reduce energy usage (Bonakdar, 2017. P. 39). The effects of supply air flow rate and temperature on the performance of a bed-based task/ambient air conditioning system are also investigated in other research. Furthermore, certain specialised places within a hospital complex need air-conditioning. In the operating room, for example, air cooling is widely acknowledged to be vital. In this context, air-conditioning refers to the capacity to manage the temperature both below and above the ambient temperature, as well as the humidity and sterile filtration. Air conditioning is also required in other departments, including as critical care, birth rooms, recovery rooms, radiology, and nuclear medicine, due to the hot, humid environment in most regions of a nation (Bonakdar, 2017. P. 39).

Buildings are complex and one-of-a-kind systems with a diverse range of physical, functional, and environmental properties. Considering this level of complexity, a holistic approach is essential, which employs methodologies combined with national and international standards. Therefore, in this paper, an analysis is done to demonstrate a systematic approach for the optimization of an energy-efficient retrofit strategy. Hence, this research aims to utilize a building energy simulation tool to replicate the base-case energy performance of the existing building and propose energy conservation measures targeting the improvement of the building envelope using IOT.

1.2                                                  PROBLEM STATEMENT

Retrofitting an existing building can oftentimes be more cost-effective than building a new facility. Since buildings consume a significant amount of energy (40 percent of the nation’s total energy consumption), particularly for heating and cooling (32 percent) (IEA, 2014), and because existing buildings comprise the largest segment of the built environment, it is important to initiate energy conservation retrofits to reduce energy consumption and the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting buildings. But conserving energy is not the only reason for retrofitting existing buildings. The goal should be to create a high-performance building by applying the IOT, to the project during the planning or charrette phase that ensures all key design objectives are met. Doing so will mean that the building will be less costly to operate, will increase in value, last longer, and contribute to a better, healthier, more comfortable environment for people in which to live and work. Improving indoor environmental quality, decreasing moisture penetration, and reducing mold all will result in improved occupant health and productivity. Further, when deciding on a retrofit on the basics of IOT, consider upgrading for accessibility, safety and security at the same time. The unique aspects for retrofit of historic buildings must be given special consideration. Designing major renovations and retrofits for existing buildings to include sustainability initiatives will reduce operation costs and environmental impacts, and can increase building adaptability, durability, and resiliency.

1.3                                    AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this work is to design a low cost IOT based device to measure u-value in retrofit building design for construction. The objective are:

1. To reduce energy consumption
2. To create a high-performance building by applying internet of things (IOT).

• To increase indoor environmental quality

1.4                                     SCOPE / LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this work focused on design a low cost IOT based device to measure u-value in retrofit building. The use of IOT involve using sensors, these sensors attach to a building’s HVAC, lighting, and other systems, and transmit data over the internet to a control system. Incorporating the Internet of Things (IoT), this control system typically connects to a property’s building management system (BMS). A building needs network standards to allow wireless and/or wired data transmission, actuators that use the data generated by the sensors to respond, and data storage and analytics to automate building operations.

1.5                                           SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study shall serve as a means of manage your building and permit smart building management using IoT. It ensures our sustainability standards are met even from a remote location. Working on this topic will serve as a means of Improving indoor environmental quality, decreasing moisture penetration, and reducing mold all will result in improved occupant health and productivity.