A review of sustainable cooling technologies in buildings

Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems play a vital part in ensuring the required comfort levels of residents inside building environments. However, most modern cooling equipments consume high levels of electrical power, thus create high energy consumption rates in buildings. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the common practice of implementing passive and active cooling technologies in buildings. Basic description along with the features and limitations of the techniques are outlined. Comparisons made on the electricity consumption and the capital expenditure has also been proposed. Alternatives such as utilizing heat-pipe heat exchangers for energy recovery have been described. The review highlights that wind towers are prospective alternatives to meet the demand of urban electricity utility along with its contribution to green building. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.