Heat demand and air exchange in a multifamily building — simulation with elements of validation

Abstract

The experiment providing data on the energy demand and air exchange in the flat located in the multifamily building is presented in the paper. The measurement was carried out during 3 weeks in winter. The total energy consumption necessary for flat heating was measured continuously. During the same time air change rate in the flat was measured by means of tracer gas concentration decay methods. After measurements were finished the energy demand and ventilating airflows were calculated assuming the same weather data variation as measured during the experiment, using the ESP-r software. Contam program was used for the air infiltration simulation, giving more detailed results about the ventilation airflows within the tested object. Comparison was made between numerical results and measured data over the given cycle and a good correlation of results has been achieved. Practical applications: Simulation methods can be an alternative to the assessment of energy consumption or heat demand in buildings when the direct measurement is impossible or difficult. A good agreement of simulation and measurement results is reached when the average values of the results are compared for a longer period of time.