Thermal mass Activation in relation to Power House One

Abstract

In building simulations it is common practice to use standardized occupant behavior and internal gains. Although this is a valid approach for designing systems, the probabilistic nature of these boundary conditions influences the energy demand and achieved thermal comfort of real systems [1]. This paper analyzes the influence of occupant behavior on the energy performance and thermal comfort of three model rooms equipped with thermal mass activation. Three TRNSYS models with weather data form Trondheim were set up.

First, the energy performance and thermal comfort of thermally activated building elements are compared with the performance of idealized cooling with standardized user behavior. Thermal mass activation is able to deliver a better thermal comfort than ventilation heat but results in the parametric studies shows to have a higher energy demand. The influence of the cooling load was investigated by ASHRAE--‐guidelines. It is shown that the ceiling is the best location for tackling the cooling load in an indoor space.

It is also proven that integrating thermal mass activation is a valuable component for improving the thermal comfort of an indoor space. While its performance is better than that of ventilation, there is not thus far a clear answer as to whether TMA is more energy efficient than activating this same thermal mass by ventilation heat. Further research is necessary to investigate this issue.