Oversized HVAC systems and overcooled buildings in hot and humid climates

Why are air-conditioned buildings in hot and humid climates so cold that one gets reminded of carrying a jacket when going to office? Would raising the set point temperatures in these buildings do the trick? What are the engineering challenges that necessitate a relook at the way air-conditioned buildings in such climates are designed?

This talk will review some of the fundamental issues of cooling and dehumidification facing the HVAC designer and the inevitable and inherent design of an oversized system and its undesirable consequences in terms of an overcooled indoor environment. It will provide an understanding of the psychrometric challenges involved in cooling and dehumidification at peak and part loads in hot and humid climates. Possible solutions to creating a more thermally comfortable and healthy indoor environment that can also save energy will be discussed.

Speaker

Chandra Sekhar, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE & ISIAQ, is currently a Professor and Programme Director (MSc-Building Performance and Sustainability) and co-director (Centre for Integrated Building Energy and Sustainability in the Tropics) in the Department of the Built Environment at the National University of Singapore. He is also a founding director of Enhanced Air Quality Pte Ltd., a NUS spin-off company. His research interests include thermal comfort, ventilation and IAQ, airborne infection control, energy efficient HVAC systems and building energy analysis. He has about 300 publications in these fields in international journals and conferences. He is a co-inventor and holds 3 US and other patents. He has delivered several Keynote talks in international conferences around the world. He has been an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer since 2006 and is regularly invited as a speaker around the world. He has been recognised through several awards from ASHRAE, SHASE Japan, ASEAN and Singapore. He was a Director-At-Large (2018-2021) on the ASHRAE Board of Directors and has served the ASHRAE Singapore Chapter in various capacities, including as its President during 2010-2011 and as a BOG member. He is active in Standards and Technical committees in ASHRAE and is also actively involved in standardization activities in Singapore.

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