Energy performance of a lightweight opaque ventilated façade integrated with the HVAC system using saturated exhaust indoor air

The energetic performance of an integrated system basically consisting of an adiabatic humidifier, a lightweight mechanically ventilated opaque façade equipped with a direct evaporative air-cooling device, and an air-to-air heat exchanger for energy transfer from the outdoor airstream to the exhaust airstream leaving the air space, is analyzed numerically using an in-house-developed computer code. The minor energy consumptions with respect to a basic configuration consisting of a traditional closed cavity wall and a recovery equipment wherein energy is transferred from the outdoor air to the exhaust air extracted from within the building, are also calculated by introducing a cooling performance index and discussed in full details. A dimensional empirical correlation that expresses such cooling performance index as a function of the several independent variables considered is also proposed.

► Opaque façade ventilation by saturated exhaust air leads to a thermal load decrease.
► Energy is further saved by integrating the ventilated façade with a recovery device.
► Significant minor energy demands with respect to traditional setups are obtained.