PM2.5 can help adjust building's energy consumption.
Jingxin Gao1, Changzan Duan1, Jinbo Song1
1School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, PR China.
Journal of Environmental Management
|January 14, 2023
Summary
Air pollution, specifically PM2.5, subtly increases energy use in public buildings. Long-term exposure to outdoor PM2.5 cumulatively impacts energy consumption, suggesting synergy between pollution control and energy reduction.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Building Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Air pollution's impact on human cognition is well-documented.
- Potential effects of air pollution on public building energy consumption remain under-explored.
- Overlooking these impacts can lead to increased energy costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between PM2.5 levels and energy use in public buildings.
- To quantify the impact of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 on building energy intensity.
- To explore potential strategies for synergistic air pollution control and energy reduction.
Main Methods:
- Constructed a panel dataset of 193,226 building-hourly observations.
- Matched real-time energy consumption with indoor and outdoor PM2.5 data.
- Analyzed the impact of PM2.5 on energy intensity at the building-hourly level.
Main Results:
- PM2.5 significantly increases energy intensity, though the effect is subtle.
- The marginal effect of indoor PM2.5 on energy use increases after exceeding 1 μg/m³.
- The relationship between indoor PM2.5 and energy use may be inverted U-shaped.
- Long-term outdoor PM2.5 exposure has a cumulative negative impact on energy use.
- Centralized office environments show potential for energy savings.
Conclusions:
- Air pollution control and energy consumption reduction can be synergistically achieved.
- Understanding PM2.5's impact is crucial for accurate energy saving cost estimations.
- Findings support implementing policies for both environmental and energy efficiency goals.
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