Integrated Sustainability Analysis, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Discipline of Accounting, Sydney Business School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Heat and Health Research Incubator, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Lancet Planet Health. 2022 Apr;6(4):e301-e309. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00042-0.
Increasing air conditioner use for cooling indoor spaces has the potential to be a primary driver of global greenhouse gas emissions. Moving indoor air with residential fans can raise the temperature threshold at which air conditioning needs to be turned on to maintain the thermal comfort of building occupants. We investigate whether fans can be used to reduce air conditioner use and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
We developed an integrated framework, featuring a dynamic adaptive thermal comfort model with a geographical information system-based spatially gridded map of Australia, further complemented with census data. We assessed the change in energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions for five scenarios of air conditioner and fan use: an air conditioner-only scenario (no fans); and four fan-first scenarios with fans operating at speeds of 0·1 m/s, 0·3 m/s, 0·8 m/s, and 1·2 m/s, with air conditioning used only once the upper temperature threshold for thermal discomfort is exceeded. For each day of the selected case study year, we estimated the upper temperature limit for thermal comfort and the number of hours in which air conditioning would be switched on.
The thermal comfort threshold was increased by the use of fans compared with air conditioner use alone. We found that widespread indoor fan use had the potential to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions attributable to air conditioner use, without compromising thermal comfort. Taking an annual perspective, the use of fans with air speeds of 1·2 m/s compared with air conditioner use alone resulted in a 76% reduction in energy use (from 5592 GWh to 1344 GWh) and associated greenhouse gas emissions (5091 kilotonnes to 1208 kilotonnes).
A common strategy to cope with hot weather is the use of air conditioners, which feed a cycle of high electricity consumption, often delivered by fossil fuel power stations that in turn contribute to further increases in emissions. Moving air with electric fans could serve as a sustainable alternative, reducing air conditioner use and associated greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing thermal comfort.
Australian Research Council, New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and The University of Sydney.
为室内空间降温而增加空调的使用，有可能成为全球温室气体排放的主要驱动因素。使用住宅风扇来输送室内空气，可以提高需要开启空调以维持建筑物居住者热舒适度的温度阈值。我们研究了风扇是否可以用于减少空调的使用和相关的温室气体排放。
我们开发了一个综合框架，其特点是具有动态自适应热舒适模型和基于地理信息系统的澳大利亚空间网格化地图，进一步辅以人口普查数据。我们评估了五种空调和风扇使用情况的情景下的能源使用和相关温室气体排放变化：仅使用空调的情况（不使用风扇）；以及四种风扇优先的情况，风扇以 0·1 m/s、0·3 m/s、0·8 m/s 和 1·2 m/s 的速度运行，仅在超过热不适的上限温度时才使用空调。对于所选案例研究年的每一天，我们估计了热舒适度的上限温度和需要开启空调的小时数。
与单独使用空调相比，使用风扇会提高热舒适度的阈值。我们发现，广泛使用室内风扇有可能减少与空调使用相关的能源需求和温室气体排放，而不会影响热舒适度。从年度角度来看，与单独使用空调相比，使用 1·2 m/s 风速的风扇会导致能源使用减少 76%（从 5592 GWh 减少到 1344 GWh）和相关温室气体排放减少 5091 千吨到 1208 千吨。
应对炎热天气的常见策略是使用空调，这会导致高电力消耗的循环，而这种电力消耗通常由火力发电站提供，这反过来又会导致排放进一步增加。使用电动风扇输送空气可以作为一种可持续的替代方案，减少空调的使用和相关的温室气体排放，而不会牺牲热舒适度。
澳大利亚研究委员会、新南威尔士州规划、工业和环境部以及悉尼大学。
