Energy and Cost-Saving Potential of the Radiant Cooling System for a City in Pakistan
摘要
Radiant cooling (RC) systems have gained global attention as promising alternatives to conventional systems due to their lower energy consumption and superior thermal comfort. In Pakistan, an energy-starved country, the adoption of such a system remains ignored, creating a research gap. This study aims to compare the embedded RC system with the conventional air-conditioning system in terms of energy and cost. In this regard, an office building was considered for a city in Pakistan, Nok Kundi. The modeling and simulation processes were conducted using EnergyPlus v9.6. The results show that the energy savings achieved with the use of an RC system is 33% while maintaining the same thermal comfort as provided by a conventional system. Although the initial cost of the RC system is nearly double that of the conventional system, the additional cost would be recovered within 8 years of operation. These findings will be helpful for policymakers, economists, and other professionals to understand and evaluate the energy and cost-saving potential of RC systems in buildings.