Natural ventilation is a sustainable, energy-efficient and clean technology that is well accepted by occupants. It can be used to provide fresh air for occupants as necessary, to maintain acceptable air quality levels and to cool buildings in cases where climatic conditions allow. The successful application of natural ventilation techniques and the effectiveness of natural ventilation are determined by the prevailing outdoor conditions and microclimate as well as by building design and building use.
The use of ceiling mounted circulating fans to provide air movement for cooling in industrial premises and animal houses is particularly essential in warm, humid climates. Methods to substantially improve the efficiency of this approach are demonstrated in this paper. Fan laws are identified as one source of strategies for increasing energy-efficiency of fans. Industrial ceiling fans are used to demonstrate that using larger, slower, fans will not only improve energy efficiency but also reduce fan noise.
It is often assumed that commercial and institutional buildings are fairly airtight and that envelope air leakage does not have a significant impact on energy consumption and indoor air quality in these buildings. Furthermore, it is assumed that more recently constructed buildings are tighter than older buildings. However, very little data is available on the airtightness of building envelopes in commercial and institutional buildings.
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