Experimental study on energy consumption and thermal environment of radiant ceiling heating system for different types of rooms

Abstract This paper investigates energy consumption and thermal environment performance of a radiant ceiling heating system serving different types of rooms in the same building. Four types of rooms with different functions, namely restaurant, office, flight control room, and conference room, were chosen in this study. Energy consumption and thermal environment parameters were measured in different rooms, including the heating energy consumption intensity, indoor air temperature, surface temperature of the building envelope, air temperature stratification, and vertical temperature gradient. The results show that the heating energy consumption intensity is about 19.63 W/m2, which is about 30% lower than the heating index recommended in the regional standard. The heating indexes per unit area of the restaurant, office, flight control room, and conference room are 33.41, 17.36, 18.91, and 20.32 W/m2, respectively. The unit volume heating energy consumption of the flight control room, which is a large space, is significantly lower than that of the office, which is a small space. Moreover, there are also differences regarding the indoor thermal environment of the different types of rooms. Factors such as solar radiation, outdoor cold air infiltration, and indoor occupancy rate are the main factors that influence the indoor thermal environment. In general, the energy consumption level of radiant ceiling heating systems for larger spaces is lower, and the indoor thermal environment is better. Therefore, radiant ceiling heating systems are more suitable for larger rooms.