Energy analysis of commercial buildings in subtropical climates

The overall thermal transfer value (OTTV) concept has been extended to corr elate the OTTV of building envelope designs with other key building design parameters through DOE-2 computer simulations. A survey of 146 commercial b uildings completed between 1975 and 1995 provides the information on the pr evailing architectural designs and construction practices in Hong Kong. Thi s information forms a basis for the development of a generic office buildin g used in the computer analysis. Four major design aspects have been consid ered, namely the building envelope, indoor design conditions, internal load s and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). Implications for en ergy efficiency in the commercial sector energy use are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.