Building–Soil Thermal Interaction: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of thermal interaction between a building and surrounding soil. The examined building was located in southern Poland. Measurements of selected indoor and outdoor air temperature parameters were made in order to determine the boundary conditions. The soil temperature measurements were conducted at 42 points. The analysis of results is divided into four periods: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. The analysis show that weather conditions significantly affect the temperature in soil, but the range of residential building impact decreases with distance, and it varies depending on the season. The residential building impact on the soil temperature is in the range of 1.2–3.3 m. This paper also includes a study of the heat flow direction in soil and a quantitative estimate of heat exchange between a building and the soil. The greatest energy losses 2082 kWh (21.24 kWh/m2) from the building to the soil were recorded in winter. In spring, the energy losses were reduced by about 38% as compared with the energy losses in winter, and the energy losses in spring were comparable to autumn.