A foundation heat transfer module for EnergyPlus program

New calculation procedures for calculating conduction heat transfer for foundations are described. These procedures are first validated and then implemented within EnergyPlus source code (beta version 5.0). Selected results of the implementation are presented for a 3-zone low -rise building. The results indicated that the developed foundation heat transfer module accounts better than existing EnergyPlus module for the ground mass and its effects on reducing the hourly and seasonal fluctuations of slab surface temperatures.