Trends in Office Internal Gains and the Impact on Space Heating and Cooling

CIBSE Technical Symposium, DeMontfort University, Leicester UK
6th and 7th September 2011

Internal gains from occupants, equipment and lighting contribute a significant proportion of the heat gains in an office space. Looking at trends in Generation-Y, it appears there are two diverging paths for future ICT demand: one where energy demand is carefully regulated and the other where productivity enhancers such as multiple monitors and media walls causes an explosion of energy demand within the space. These internal gains scenarios were simulated on a variety of different
building archetypes to test their influence on the space heating and cooling demand.
It was demonstrated that in offices with a high quality facade, internal gains are the dominant factor. As a case study, it was shown that natural ventilation is only possible when the ICT demand is carefully regulated.