Search results for "Building simulation"
showing 10 items of 43 documents
Dynamic thermal simulation of buildings: a case study to validate ESP-r software
2008
Energy aspects and environmental problems have a key role in the definition of building’s design, management and maintenance. The energy saving and the decrease of environmental impact throughout the life cycle assessment of buildings maintaining an high level of comfort are Key points for a modern and sustainable construction (total quality of the building). In fact, the building’s design has to be considered the result of a multi-objective problem. Furthermore the European Directive 2002/91/EC issues the sustainable themes on the energy performance of buildings [1], and include the energy certification of new buildings with effect from 2006
Integration of Building Simulation and Life Cycle Assessment: A TRNSYS Application
2016
Abstract The study proposes a tool developed within the TRNSYS environment aimed at integrating its building simulation features during the use phase with a Life Cycle Assessment approach. The tool can be used to investigate the relevance of each life-cycle step of the building on the primary energy consumption and global warming potential. The Life Cycle stages can be modelled with different approaches: direct input of the embodied energy and global warming potential values for each life cycle step as defined in the EN 15978, use of an internal database of embodied energy and global warming potential of construction materials and energy systems, direct connections of building simulation ou…
Redesign of a Rural Building in a Heritage Site in Italy: Towards the Net Zero Energy Target
2017
In order to achieve the ambitious objective of decarbonising the economy, it is mandatory, especially in Europe and in Italy, to include the retrofitting of existing buildings. In a country where a large share of existing buildings have heritage value, it is important to design effective retrofit solutions also in historical buildings. In this context, the paper describes the experience of re-design of an existing rural building located in Sicily, inside the ancient Greeks' “Valley of the Temples”. An energy audit was performed on the building, and its energy uses were thoroughly investigated. A building model was developed in the TRNSYS environment and its performances validated. The valid…
Data fusion analysis applied to different climate change models: An application to the energy consumptions of a building office
2019
Abstract The paper aims to achieve the modelling of climate change effects on heating and cooling in the building sector, through the use of the available Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasted data. Data from several different climate models will be fused with regards to mean air temperature, wind speed and horizontal solar radiation. Several climatic models data were analysed ranging from January 2006 to December 2100. Rather than considering each model in isolation, we propose a data fusion approach for providing a robust combined model for morphing an existing weather data file. The final aim is simulating future energy use for heating and cooling of a reference building a…
Is the transfer function method reliable in a European building context? A theoretical analysis and a case study in the South of Italy
2005
Abstract The available tools for dynamic simulation of the buildings thermal behaviour are manifold, and the most modern ones, known as TRNSYS, are founded upon the use of the Z-transform (ZT) set also called transfer function method (TFM). The transfer function method (TFM), recommended by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is one of the most modern tools available to solve heat transfer problems in building envelopes and environments. TFM utilises Z-transforms to solve the equation system that describes the heat transfer in a multi-layered wall. Due to an analogy with an electric circuit, it is possible to write the equation system in a mat…
A new approach to model the effect of climate change on the building sector: A climate models data fusion
2020
Several climate models have been developed and used to forecast the effects of the climate changes, however the variability of results due to different models lead to a significant uncertainty on the estimation of the building energy use for the next century. In this context, the paper analyses this uncertainty and combines different climate models in order to improve the robustness of energy consumption predictions. The data of the climate models were then used to generate hourly weather files for the future period 2020-2099 and energy simulations for a case study located in Palermo (Italy) were performed. Results show a wide variability among all models (either alone or combined with our …
Fifty Years of PMV Model: Reliability, Implementation and Design of Software for Its Calculation
2019
In most countries, PMV is the reference index for the assessment of thermal comfort conditions in mechanically conditioned environments. It is also the basis to settle input values of the operative temperature for heating and cooling load calculations, sizing of equipment, and energy calculations according to EN 16798-1 and 16798-2 Standards. Over the years, great effort has been spent to study the reliability of PMV, whereas few investigations were addressed to its calculation. To study this issue, the most significant apps devoted to its calculation have been compared with a reference software compliant with EN ISO 7730 and the well-known ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Tool. It has been revealed …
PCM Thermal Energy Storage in Buildings: Experimental Study and Applications
2015
Abstract The study aims at analyzing the performance of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in residential housing for different climates. This paper presents the results of an experiment performed in the Concordia University Solar Simulator and Environmental Chamber research facility (SSEC, Montreal, Canada). PCM boards were embedded on the back wall of a test hut placedin the climatic chamber. Several experiments were performed to explore the potential for verification of the proposed analysis and to produce enough data to perform model calibrations. Results show a strong increase in the apparent thermal inertia of the room allowing for a reduction in daily temperature fluctuations in the test …
Energy modelling studies of thermochromic glazing
2010
Theoretically thermochromic glazing has the potential to reduce energy consumption in buildings by allowing visible light for day lighting, reducing unwanted solar gain during the cooling season, whilst allowing useful solar gain in the heating season. In this study building simulation is used to predict the savings made by novel thermochromic glazing coatings compared to standard products, for locations with different climates. The results suggest that thermochromic glazing can have a significant energy saving effect compared to current approaches.
The Application of the Life-Cycle Assessment in the Building Sector: An Italian Case Study
2017
The building sector is one of the most relevant in terms of generation of wealth and occupation, but it is also responsible for significant consumption of natural resources and the generation of environmental impacts, mainly greenhouse gas emissions. In order to improve the eco profile of buildings during their life-cycle, the reduction of the use of resources and the minimization of environmental impacts have become, in the last years, some of the main objectives to achieve in the design of sustainable buildings. The application of the life-cycle thinking approach, looking at the whole life cycle of buildings, is of paramount importance for a real decarbonization and reduction of the envir…