Predicting the effect of occupant behaviour on thermal comfort & energy use in buildings

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor JF Nicol
Low Energy Architecture Research Unit
London Metropolitan University

Standard

EPSRC

06 December 2004

05 June 2007

30 months

£132,768

Management & business studies

London

Civil Engineering Responsive -- Process Environment and Sustainability

Professor JF Nicol, Low Energy Architecture Research Unit, London Metropolitan University

Professor J Clarke, Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde

Project Contact, Colt International Ltd

Computer simulations are increasingly used to predict the indoor climate and energy use of buildings. At present there is no accepted method for simulating naturally ventilated buildings controlled by their occupants. Yet the majority of buildings fall into this category. This proposal tackles this problem by using existing databases about the use of controls such as windows, blinds, lights and fans in offices.The project will develop empirical algorithms to give the probability of occupants using a particular control. Many of the input variables to a simulation are also not precisely known, but probability distributions are available from meteorological records.The combined probability distribution of these factors will be predicted. From this it will be possible to calculate the distribution of energy use and indoor climate (and hence the risk of discomfort) using dynamic simulation techniques. New methods to predict the future performance of naturally ventilated building will bedeveloped as part of the project. This project will give building designers and others a method for predicting the future risk of discomfort and range of energy use in naturally ventilated building

01/01/07