Optimizing VCC Air Conditioner Systems in Arid Climates: A Dubai Residence As Case Study

Abstract Given the extreme hot and humid ambient conditions of UAE, it comes no surprise that the demand for air conditioning would increase rapidly. In the UAE, roughly 90% of the electricity is consumed by the building sector. In that sector, air conditioners (A/Cs) consume about 80% of the total annual house electricity. The fact that performance of A/Cs decreases as the ambient temperature increases. Additional challenge to optimize energy consumption is that in hot and humid regions A/C units are simultaneously required to control the temperature and humidity. Thus, oversized A/C units are usually used which increases the energy consumption and affect indoor thermal comfort. This study aimed to analyze the implementation of the ASHRAE standard in a residence in Dubai. Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) program is selected to study a detailed analysis of a residential building implementing ASHRAE building standards. The goal is to reach to an indoor temperature of 22.5°C and a 50% relative humidity according to ASHRAE standards. The values obtained from running the simulation over all the zones can now be used in order to size the A/C system. The maximum required load for all zones is 59.6 kW, however after applying the optimization method it was reduced by 4,5% to reach 56.9kW.