Analysis of Thermal Comfort Conditions and Actual Energy Efficiency for Different Heating Systems in Test Buildings

The aim of this study is detailed analysis of long-term monitoring data on thermal comfort conditions and energy efficiency in small test buildings equipped with different heating systems. Calculations of PPD index and local thermal discomfort factors, as well as actual energy efficiency ratios for different heat pump systems are provided for the test buildings during three weeks of the heating season. It is shown that the type of heating system has an influence not only on heating energy needs, but also on thermal comfort conditions in the room

Experimental study of using micro-encapsulated phase-change material integrated into hemp shive wallboard

Phase change materials (PCMs) are now widely known as potential additives for building insulation materials to provide a thermal mass effect that helps conserve energy and maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Therefore, the study presented in this paper focuses on an experimental investigation of the specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity of hemp shive mixed with PCMs. Industrially manufactured organic PCM-S50 received from MikroCaps Ltd. (Slovenia) has been used to further enhance respective properties of the product samples. The experimental boards were made from hemp shive by directly mixing 5% encapsulate PCMs into the mass. Cold pressing was used to manufacture the boards with Kleiberit urea formaldehyde resin glue as a binding agent. The experimental boards were made as 25 mm thick single-layer parts with a density of 300 ± 20 kg/m3, which qualify them as low-density boards. By adding nanocapsules during the board manufacturing process, the heat capacity is increased by 62%. Based on the great potential of using latent heat, it becomes a possible solution for the development of new technologies related to the automatic regulation of an indoor microclimate

Impact of Different Building Materials on Summer Comfort in Latvian Climate

The aim of the research is to analyse overheating risks in buildings in a summer season under Latvian climate conditions both experimentally and numerically. Three different building solutions are observed: two building structures which mainly consist of the mineral wool and wooden materials and one structure from aerated clay bricks and mineral wool. The experiments have been implemented in test stands in Riga. The possibilities of PCM using are tested too. The numerical simulations have been performed using software WUFI Plus. The results show that the light constructions have high overheating risks

Analysis of Thermal Comfort Conditions and Actual Energy Efficiency for Different Heating Systems in Test Buildings

The aim of this study is detailed analysis of long- term monitoring data on thermal comfort conditions and energy efficiency in small test buildings equipped with different heating systems. Calculations of PPD index and local thermal discomfort factors, as well as actual energy efficiency ratios for different heat pump systems are provided for the test buildings during three weeks of the heating season. It is shown that the type of heating system has an influence not only on heating energy needs, but also on thermal comfort conditions in the room

Thermal conductivity measurement of insulating innovative building materials by hot plate and heat flow meter devices: A Round Robin Test

The characterization of thermal insulation properties of construction materials represents a fundamental step on the building insulation assessment. In recent years innovative materials have been introduced in the market to fulfill the continuously growing requirements of energy saving and sustainability, and their performance is not so reliable and mature as it happens for traditional insulators. The work presents a Round Robin Test realised among six European laboratories hosting hot plates devices to measure the thermal conductivity of four different materials: aerogel, vacuum insulation panels, polystyrene and birch wood fibre insulation boards. After the definition of the common measurement protocol, the tests campaign was executed and the results were checked with a consistency analysis. Data showed that the hot plate apparatuses result suitable for the measurement of the tested innovative materials, both in terms of absolute values retrieved and repeatability. The reproducibility is satisfactory as well, except for vacuum insulation panels, the most insulating samples, which present values of standard deviations quite high, at least in relative terms, so showing that the thermal properties of high performance materials must be assessed with particular care