English

Evaluates results from constant concentration tracer gas measurements and fan pressurization measurements in three houses and predicts ventilation rates for longer time periods using the LBL model. Test results show that the best way of both supplying adequate ventilation and conserving energy is to make sure that the building envelope is sufficiently tight and then install a mechanical ventilation system. Shows that it is possible to correlate fan pressurization measurements and infiltration rates.

Energy consumption due to ventilation and air infiltration has been estimated to be 30-50% of the total energy use in Finnish high rise residential buildings. While natural ventilation was common in earlier buildings, central mechanical ventilation systems have become predominant during recent decades. Presents a typical energy balance in an apartment building. The heat loss due to ventilation and infiltration appears to be 0.5-0.7 ach.

A number of studies have reported comparisons of building energy simulations to measured building performance. This paper summarizes results of studies of occupied buildings in which monitoring varied from very detailed tonon-existent, the comparison interval from hourly to yearly and the number of buildings from one to 200 plus. These results are briefly compared to results from unoccupied buildings and preliminary conclusions are presented about the use of building energy models for different types of field application.

Uses the building energy program DOE 2.1A with the objective of validating it for use with single-family dwellings. Carries out four studies, each with a different set of conditions. The first involves a single-story house with full basement, while the second involves a single-story house on a slab. Runsblower door tests to estimate infiltration. On a bimonthly basis, simulated heating energy differs from the measured value by up to 11%. The third study, using 75 similar houses with electrical resistance heating, shows an agreement of within 5% between simulated and actual measurements.

Presents the analysis of the effect of energy saving retrofits installed in low-income housing under a nationwide weatherization demonstration program. Weatherization techniques included caulking and weatherstripping, insulation and modification or replacement of heating systems. Two years of pre-retrofit fuel consumption data were analyzed to predict energy usage if the house had not been retrofitted. Energy reduction due to retrofitting was calculated from this. The average saving in fuel consumption for retrofitted dwellings was 30%.

Describes international research activities in the field of air infiltration, based on a recent research survey. Projects include research on indoor air quality and comfort, comparison of procedures for calculating air change rates in buildings, compiling data on air flow and pressure distributions around buildings, and measurement techniques. At the end, concentrates on Swiss projects.

Considers a building with an arbitrary number of point and line heat sources at the floor. Fresh air flows in the room through windows, warm air leaves through roof louvres. To model the complicated flow field, the building issubdivided into several regions. Mass, momentum and energy balances are set up for each region. Well-known results are used for turbulent plumes and wall boundary layers due to natural convection. Pressure drops across entrance and exit openings have to be compensated by buoyancy forces.

Instruments full-scale agricultural and horticultural buildings with surface pressure sensors to measure wind loads under natural wind conditions. To show the effect of building geometry on wind loads, presents results of pressure coefficients on a selection of these buildings. The results in this report relate to transverse wind direction only. Shows that wind load does not reduce to a function of the geometric variables of height/span and roof pitch.

Carries out measurements of the air infiltration rate of 3 large single cell buildings using the tracer dilution method. The purpose is to determine whether or not there are any special difficulties in using the tracer dilution method in this type of building, prior to emabarking on a more substantial measurement program. Uses nitrous oxide and sulphur hexafluoride as tracers. Finds both to be satisfactory, but concludes that SF6 in conjunction with a portable gas chromatograph performs more reliably when used for on-site measurements.

Commercial building energy analyses may be used for new building design, energy end use forecasting and energy audit calculations. Many building simulation programs, such as DOE 2.1A or BLAST, are quite complex and must berun by specialists on main frame computers. A simplified method of commercial building energy analysis has been developed and utilises a database of previous DOE 2.1A simulations to predict the outcome of other simulations. Applies this method to an office building in one climate region and finds that it predicts heating, cooling, and total energy use very accurately.