Field study on the performance of hybrid ventilation with HRHC in schools

Optimal indoor air quality, thermal comfort and energy conservation in schools is of great importance. A new development in indoor climate control in schools is hydronicradiant heating and cooling (HRHC). This system uses building mass to heat and cool the building. Water filled pipes are embedded in the core of the concrete slab. Water near comfort temperature is used. Slow accumulationof concrete results in small adaptation possibilities in order to meet the needs of users. Research has shown that the storage capacity of the concrete is in principal more than enough to maintain comfortable room temperature. While there are many examples of HRHC in commercial office buildings available, very little has been reported about school applications. The objective of the research is examining thermal comfort where obtained with HRAC. Measurements were done in three schools.