Project completion: dECOnhealth
On 31st of March 2022, the EBC and its project partners successfully completed the dECOnhealth joint project.
The dECOnhealth project investigated demand-controlled ventilation strategies for hospitals. The joint project was carried out together with the TURKU University of Applied Science in Finland. In addition to various industrial partners from Finland and Germany, the Helsinki University Hospital and the University Hospital Aachen were also involved. The two hospitals were intensively studied as case studies.
Through a large-scale measurement campaign with over 200 sensors, the indoor climate in over 80 rooms of the two hospitals was measured. The data was then analyzed to gather insight into the status quo. Calibrated room models, based on the AixLib, were used to determine the energy savings potential through demand-controlled ventilation, as well as the influence on the room climate. CFD simulations and laboratory experiments were used to investigate the room flow in the case of demand-controlled ventilation. The developed Strategies were tested under real conditions in a pilot room at the University Hospital Aachen.
The project results show that high energy savings of 60% and more can be achieved using demand-controlled ventilation while ensuring high air quality and thermal comfort as well as high ventilation effectiveness. These savings are expected not only for infrequently occupied rooms but also for frequently occupied rooms, as there are usually significantly fewer people using the rooms than the current ventilation strategy is designed for.
We gratefully thank the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) for financial support for the research project (FKZ 03ET1568).