The Effect of Air Change Rates on the Heating and Cooling Energy Performance of Educational Buildings According to TS 825: 2024 Standard

This study investigates the impact of outdoor air change rates on the monthly and annual specific energy consumption of an educational building. The Faculty of Engineering building at Yalova University was used as a case study. The parametric analyses were conducted across four fresh air scenarios = 0.35, 0.70, 1.05 and 1.40 m3/h.m2) based on the TS 825:2024 calculation method. The results indicate that increasing the air change rate from the lowest to the highest scenario elevates the total annual specific energy consumption by approximately 31% (from 100.8 to 132.2 kWh/m².a). This effect is highly dominant during the winter heating season due to low outdoor temperatures. Compared to the standard reference value of 0.70 m3/h.m2 higher ventilation rates increase energy demands by 9% to 18%, demonstrating that excessive fresh air intake directly reduces building energy efficiency. The critical need for demand-controlled ventilation or heat recovery systems is to maintain indoor air quality without increasing thermal loads.