EE8: Dynamic simulation of natural ventilation and impacts on energy and comfort in dwellings

MORET RODRIGUES, ANTÓNIO1; GOMES, MARIA DA GLÓRIA2

1) Associate Professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, UL, DECivil/ICIST, moret.rodrigues@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

2) Assistant Professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, UL, DECivil/ICIST, maria.gloria.gomes@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

 

Among the factors that impact the thermal and energy performance of buildings is the air exchange between the internal and external environments. The air renewal of rooms by fresh outdoor air, despite the negative impacts that can have on thermal comfort and energy savings, cannot fall below some thresholds, at the risk of compromising indoor air quality requirements. The trend of the directives and regulations is towards minimizing the building ventilation rates, given the increasing demand for energy efficiency measures. This requires a more rigorous quantification of the airflow rates in buildings. On this point, computational dynamic simulation appears as a powerful tool to respond to this issue, by enabling the calculation of complex systems with a level of detail and speed of response unattainable by other methods. This article explores the dynamic simulation for assessing the natural ventilation performance of a real dwelling in typical conditions of use.

 

Keywords: Natural Ventilation, Dynamic Simulation, EnergyPlus, Energy and Thermal Comfort