# Modeling Heat Consumption of an Office Building During COVID-19 Restrictions
## 6 Conclusions  
The widespread virus, commonly abbreviated as COVID-19, has led authorities to introduce lockdowns and impose restrictions on the number of employees. That leads to less intensive indoor mixed convection and makes turning off some radiators of an SH system, along with limiting ventilation rates while using the same radiant heating applications, bring the risk of a high return temperature.  
There are three site- and building-specific conclusions:  
1. After implementing new design and operational methods, the overheating of indoor spaces was alleviated. For a particular office building in Omsk (Russia), the average indoor temperature was reduced from 23.5 to 20.4 \({}^{\circ}\)C. According to national regulations, the threshold for indoor temperature in an office building during winter in Russia is pretty low and accounts for only 18 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Provided that fact, the level of thermal comfort above 20 \({}^{\circ}\)C is expressed as 'normal'.
2. The thermal balance between offices is to be enhanced as demonstrated by the indoor temperature, variations in which became less steep. About 19.8% of energy will also be saved during the heating season.
3. Regarding the control of the indoor temperature and saving effect, we specifically compared the difference between the maximum values and the minimum values of absolute thermal comfort and heating demand per day, of which the minimum one (0.2%) corresponded to the optimal operation and ensuring the indoor environment by taking the wind into account and the maximum one to night setbacks (8.2%).  
The proposed indoor temperature control method employs logged data from sensors and advanced simulations to decrease energy use while maintaining occupant comfort. It integrates model adaptive control strategies for transient effects caused by varying thermal loads, occupancy patterns, and external weather conditions. This approach dynamically adjusts HVAC setpoints based on previous patterns, improving energy efficiency by up to 15% compared to traditional systems.  
The new design methods emphasize considering building materials and glazing to minimize temperature fluctuations and delay peak thermal loads. Operational methods prioritize adaptive thermal comfort models, enabling a tolerance of transient temperature variations of up to 3 \({}^{\circ}\)C without sacrificing comfort, alongside occupancy-driven setpoint adjustments for periods of low demand, achieving energy savings of 10% to 20%. These innovations enhance building sustainability by harmonizing energy efficiency and thermal comfort in real-world applications.  
In a nutshell, the indoor temperature fluctuations became smoother after the new control strategy was implemented. The building energy consumption also decreased drastically. This proves that the control strategy suggested in this paper has considerable heat conservation potential.  
This project received funding from VLAIO in Belgium, ICON project OPTIMESH (VLAFL\(\infty\)7, [[https://researchportal.vub.be/en/projects/icon-project-optimesh](https://researchportal.vub.be/en/projects/icon-project-optimesh)]([https://researchportal.vub.be/en/projects/icon-project-optimesh](https://researchportal.vub.be/en/projects/icon-project-optimesh)) (accessed on 20 April 2025) and FLUX50 ICON Project Collaboration Agreement--HBC.2021.0395).  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to confidentiality reasons.  
The author declares no conflicts of interest.