Influence of the Thermal Inertia in the European Simplified Procedures for the Assessment of Buildings’ Energy Performance

Luca Evangelisti, Gabriele Battista, Claudia Guattari, Carmine Basilicata and Roberto De Lieto Vollaro
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Luca Evangelisti: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome 00146, Italy
Gabriele Battista: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome 00146, Italy
Claudia Guattari: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome 00146, Italy
Carmine Basilicata: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome 00146, Italy
Roberto De Lieto Vollaro: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome 00146, Italy

Sustainability, 2014, vol. 6, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: This study aims to highlight the importance of thermal inertia in buildings. Nowadays, it is possible to use energy analysis software to simulate the building energy performance. Considering Italian standards, these analyses are based on the UNI TS 11300 that defines the procedures for the national implementation of the UNI EN ISO 13790. These standards require an energy analysis under steady-state condition, underestimating the thermal inertia of the building. In order to understand the inertial behavior of walls, a cubic Test-Cell was modelled through the dynamic calculation code TRNSYS and three different wall types were tested. Different stratigraphies, characterized by the same thermal transmittance value, composed by massive elements and insulating layers in different order, were simulated. Through TRNSYS, it was possible to define maximum surface temperatures and to calculate thermal lag between maximum values, both external and internal. Moreover, the attenuation between external surface temperatures and internal ones during summer (July) was calculated. Finally, the comparison between Test-Cell’s annual energy demands, performed by using a commercial code based on the Italian standard UNITS 11300 and the dynamic code, TRNSYS, was carried out.

Keywords: thermal inertia; TRNSYS; building energy saving; surface temperatures; thermal lag (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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