A multimodel approach to building thermal simulation for design and research purposes

TL;DR

This paper proposes a multimodel simulation approach for building thermal analysis, applicable from early design to energy auditing, addressing diverse needs with tailored accuracy and speed.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible multimodel framework that adapts to different project stages and user expertise, enhancing thermal simulation versatility.

Findings

Effective integration of multiple models for various project phases

Improved simulation speed and accuracy tailored to user needs

Versatile tool for both design and energy audit applications

Abstract

The designers pre-occupation to reduce energy consumption and to achieve better thermal ambience levels, has favoured the setting up of numerous building thermal dynamic simulation programs. The progress in the modelling of phenomenas and its transfer into the professional field has resulted in various numerical approaches ranging from softwares dedicated to architects for design use to tools for laboratory use by the expert thermal researcher. This analysis shows that each approach tends to fulfil the specific needs of a certain kind of manipulator only, in the building conception process. Our objective is notably different as it is a tool which can be used from the very initial stage of a construction project, to the energy audit for the existing building. In each of these cases, the objective results, the precision advocated and the time delay of the results are different parameters which call for a multiple model approach of the building system