Energy and peak power savings potential of radiant cooling systems in US commercial buildings

The paper describes a parametric study developed to estimate the energy and peak power savings potential of radiant cooling systems in commercial buildings in the US. The study is based on the numerical modeling of a radiant cooling system and an all-air system at different locations in the US. The results show that a building equipped with a radiant cooling system can be operated in any US climate with low risk of condensation. For the office space examined in the study, employing a radiant cooling system instead of a traditional all-air system can save on average 30% of the energy consumption and 27% of the peak power demand due to space conditioning. The savings potential is climate-dependent, and is larger in retrofitted buildings than in new construction. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.