Field and numerical evaluation on cooling and heating system alternatives for a five star hotel building towards energy conservation

The global contribution of hotel buildings to energy consumption continues to increase. Among hotel services, the energy consumed by cooling and heating systems can exceed 50% of the total energy use. For the purpose of energy conservation, five cooling and heating systems have been investigated. The aim is to investigate the most energy efficient cooling and heating system which can completely satisfy cooling and heating demands of a five star hotel building towards energy conservation. The study was based on field measurement and numerical analyses of cooling and heating systems. Data were processed and analyzed by using spread sheet and EES (Engineering Equations Solver) programs. The results showed that a cooling and heating system comprised a centrifugal water cooled chiller R-134a and two units heat pump was the most energy efficient system. The system also has the lowest CO2 emissions, and the most economic viable system with payback period less than 1.5 years. The results of the study can provide flexible alternatives to the hotel building management and consultant especially in tropical countries in determining the most suitable cooling and heating system for energy conservation measure.