Ventilation Control Strategies for Buildings with Hydronic Radiant Cooling in Hot Humid Climates

The paper describes the moisture control strategy used in the case of a multi-story office building located in a hot humid climate and estimates the energy consumed to dehumidify the ventilation air to avoid condensation. The results show that, in order to achieve a comfortable and stable environment from both thermal and humidity perspectives, the ventilation (and dehumidification) system of the building should be operated 24 h/day. If high variations in the relative humidity are acceptable, important energy savings can be achieved by switching off the ventilation system at night. When compared to an all-air system, the use of the hydronic radiant system for conditioning in a hot humid climate provides similar indoor comfort conditions and requires less energy and peak power to operate.