English

This paper reviews the validity of the ubiquitous daylighting rule of thumb (DRT) that relates window-head-height to the depth of the daylit area adjacent to a facade. Different versions of the rule taken from prominent daylighting design guides and norms are presented. A formal link is established between the depth of the daylit zone and the simulated daylight autonomy distribution in a space. Based on this link daylit zone depths of rectangular sidelit spaces are simulated using Radiance for a variety of climates, facade orientations, facade geometries, and usage patterns.

The aim of this study is to develop a simple method to predict heat flows and minimum surface temperatures in dynamic heat load calculation programs. A composition of two linear flow components is assumed instead of an element including a thermal bridge. A fractional area of the thermal bridge part is determined by the maximum and the average thermal transmittances. We also discuss a method to constitute a one-dimensional imaginary component of the thermal bridge. 

A new model for predicting the thermal and electrical performance of solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cogeneration devices for residential buildings has been developed. This is a system-level model that considers the thermodynamic performance of all components that consume energy and produce the SOFC-cogeneration device’s thermal and electrical output. The model relies heavily upon empirical information that can be acquired from the testing of coherent systems or components and is designed for operation at a time resolution that is in the order of minutes.

With computational analysis and simulation becoming an increasingly important part of the building design process, the complexities of dealing with the huge amount of data that this can produce can be overwhelming for many designers. This is especially true in large projects where several different types of analysis may be required, spread out over various different areas of the building and dealing with many different parameters. Without a mechanism for managing and interrogating all the output, important trends and relationships within the data can easily be missed. 

A new Energy Code for office buildings in Israel, currently under development, is presented. This code is based on a prescription approach, which can be easily applied as a tool for the design of office buildings through all the design stages including the early ones. The prescription approach suggested is based on the results obtained from an energetic economic optimization model that provides a recommended and preferred prescription for office building under prescribed constraints. A sensitivity analysis of the optimized solution follows.

The California Commercial End Use Survey (CEUS) project is being conducted for the California Energy Commission (CEC) by Itron, Inc. with support from KEMA-Xenergy, ADM Associates, and James J. Hirsch & Associates. The project is a massive effort designed to gain a detailed knowledge of end-use energy in commercial buildings in California.

This paper presents the results of a field study of manual control of windows which has been carried out in 21 individual offices within the Fraunhofer Institute’s building in Freiburg, Germany, from July 2002 to July 2003. Window status, occupancy, room and outdoor climatic conditions were measured every minute. Previous research findings are validated and extended by the results of this field study. The analysis of user behaviour reveals a strong correlation between the percentage of open windows and the time of year, outdoor temperature and building occupancy patterns.

Matlab/Simulink is known in a large number of fields as a powerful and modern simulation tool. In the field of building and HVAC simulation its use is also increasing. However, it is still believed to be a tool for small applications due to its graphical structure and not to fit well for the simulation of multizone buildings. This paper presents the development of a new multizone building model for Matlab/Simulink environment, implemented into the SIMBAD Building and HVAC Toolbox. It’s general enough to model a variety of useful cases.

The European Energy Performance in Building Directive (EPBD) requires methods for the calculation of the energy performance for use in the context of building regulations. 
The paper describes the rationale behind the development of a simple monthly method for the calculation of the energy needs for heating and cooling of buildings, and positions this method in the field of different possible calculation approaches. 

This paper presents an in-situ calibrated model-based approach to treat natural ventilation as an integral element of the operation of the buildings' thermal systems. Specifically, the potential of statistically based and numeric air flow models is explored as part of a hybrid building controls scheme. Toward this end, two case studies are described. In one case, the underlying predictive model is based on the statistical treatment of data obtained from a set of insitu measurements in a typical office space.