Cooling operation strategies in a typical neighborhood mosque: A Case study on electricity consumption, CO 2 emissions, and thermal comfort

Mosques are used five times daily by Muslims. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain adequate thermal conditions in mosques in the hot summer months. In this study, a simulation model was developed in the DesignBuilder program to investigate various operation strategies of two air conditioners (A/Cs) used for cooling of a typical medium-sized uninsulated neighborhood mosque. The A/Cs operation strategies were as follows: Case -I: continuous A/Cs operation, Case -II: intermittent A/Cs operation during prayer times (starting 10, 20, 30 or 60 min before daily prayers except Fajr prayers), Case -III: A/Cs operating at night (from the Isha prayer until the end of the Fajr prayer), Case -IV: A/Cs operated during the day (from the Fajr prayer to the end of the Isha prayer), and Case -V: A/Cs operated during the afternoon (from the Zuhr prayer until the end of the Isha prayer). The predicted percentage of dissatisfied reached up to 30 % during the Asr prayer despite continuous operation in Case -I. Adequate thermal conditions could not be achieved in the other cases either. All cases, except Case -II (operation before and during prayer times), required higher electricity consumption than that of the invoice data. Therefore, it is recommended to adapt the A/Cs capacity based on changes in outdoor and indoor thermal conditions and focus on zonal cooling in the mosque.