Buildings as Energy and Indoor Climate Systems’

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of buildings as energy and indoor climate control systems. It entails four main aspects: thermal behaviour of buildings, energy conversion en distribution systems for buildings, thermal comfort en indoor air quality and finally humid air properties en air handling. The course is based on a system modelling en simulation engineering approach and is useful for those interested in the design and simulation of smart low energy buildings with a good thermal indoor climate.

Thermal behaviour of buildings:

This part is the core of the course. You will study the dynamic thermal behaviour of buildings and the way it can be simulated by heat balances in order to predict indoor temperatures, needed heating and cooling capacities and energy consumption. During the course a dynamic hourly simulation, accounting for heat storage in buildings thermal mass, is set up for a modern office room, based on a set of linearized partial differential equations. Different numerical solving methods are studied. The use of models for indoor climate control and to achieve low energy buildings is demonstrated .

Energy conversion en distribution systems for buildings:

Energy conversion and related distribution systems used in practice are reviewed. Pro and contras are given. The integration of building physics, indoor climate and energy conversion systems is studied. The design process of buildings’ energy systems (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)) is clarified.

Thermal comfort en indoor air quality:

Energy conversion systems and the building itself must ensure thermal comfort and a healthy indoor air quality. The thermal comfort of human beings is studied and simulated by mathematical models based on heat and mass balances. The relationship between thermal comfort, building and HVAC is clarified. The main parameters of indoor air quality are briefly treated.

Humid air properties en air handling:

Ventilation flows are of main importance for both energy use and indoor air quality. The thermodynamic properties of humid air are therefore studied and applied to understand the working of air handling units.