Buildings consume 39% of United States total energy whilst HVAC professionals face constant pressure balancing energy efficiency against occupant health and comfort despite these fields often conflicting in design priorities.
Professor Stefano Schiavon from UC Berkeley, global leader in thermal comfort with over 15,154 research citations, explains why HVAC systems exist primarily to protect people and create healthy comfortable spaces rather than save energy, how particulate matter sensors throughout buildings enable better control decisions, why furnace fan only mode during wildfires provides automatic air cleaning using existing equipment, and how UC Berkeley's 25 year occupant satisfaction database reveals only 40% of people feel satisfied with thermal environment despite 80% satisfaction targets.
With expertise spanning personal environmental controls, radiant heating cooling systems and post occupancy evaluation research methods, Professor Schiavon shares practical solutions including smart thermostat automation connecting outdoor sensor networks and why turning systems off when leaving represents simplest most actionable energy saving advice alongside proper professional maintenance servicing.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
- HVAC systems designed protect people create healthy spaces
- Particulate sensors both intake throughout building enable decisions
- Furnace fan only mode wildfires recirculates large air
- Forty percent thermal satisfaction versus eighty percent targets
- Turn systems off leaving professional maintenance simple advice
GUEST DETAILS
Professor Stefano Schiavon is Professor of Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, leading expert in building science researching how to reduce building energy consumption (39% US total energy use) whilst ensuring occupant health, happiness and productivity through improved indoor environmental quality.
Key leader at Center for Environmental Design Research running Berkeley's advanced MS and PhD programmes in Building Science, he is recognised worldwide for thermal comfort and indoor air quality expertise focusing on practical low energy solutions including personal environmental controls, radiant heating cooling systems and new ventilation methods.
Using detailed lab experiments, advanced computer simulations and real world post occupancy evaluation surveys, his research has earned 15,154 citations with h-index of 61, winning ASHRAE Ralph Nevins Award with findings reported by Wall Street Journal and CNN.
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MORE INFORMATION
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QUOTES
We are not designing HVAC systems with the aim to save energy. We are there to protect people, to create spaces that are healthy and comfortable. If we compromise on the air quality outside is polluted, we bring outside air in. If we bring those pollutants inside, we're going to damage people. - Professor Stefano Schiavon
If we can introduce that technology that allows us to ventilate, to heat, cool, to provide light only where people are, then we could save a substantial amount of energy. - Professor Stefano Schiavon
The main reason is that people do not have a good sense of air quality. The fact that we don't see air, we don't properly perceive it, then there is a higher chance that we don't spend enough time and attention. That's why focusing on regulation for air quality is probably the most important aspect." - Professor Stefano Schiavon
KEYWORDS
#EnergyEfficiency #OccupantHealth #ThermalComfort #IndoorAirQuality #HVACDesign