No abstract

This paper is dedicated to research of the impact of the limited heat source capacity on indoor temperature and energy consumption in serial nZEB residential buildings. This is an innovative aspect as it explores the potential design simplification for different locations, allowing for cost optimization and quicker construction timelines. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of limited heat source capacity by utilizing thermal mass and optimizing the ventilation operation. Numerical results demonstrate that incorporating thermal mass increases heating energy consumption by up to 1%. The study addresses the impact of limited heating capacity on indoor temperatures and the need to manage ventilation’s impact during peak temperatures using simulation software IDA ICE. The study reveals that a limited heating capacity reduces energy consumption up to 2.6%, but may result in lower indoor temperatures. By optimizing ventilation strategies, energy consumption can be reduced from 2.4% to 4.4% compared to the suboptimal solution, and from 2.8% to 6.5% compared to the initial case. Parametric analysis reveals optimal ventilation operation change-over point at an outdoor temperature of −17 °C during winter. The research provides practical recommendations for adjusting heating schedules, selecting appropriate heating capacities and implementing optimal ventilation strategies.

Single family houses consume substantially more thermal energy per floor area compared to multi-apartment buildings to satisfy space heating or cooling demand. Over the past decades there has been an undisputed evidence of a temperature rise across the world that has led to a growing concern of more extreme weather patterns and regular seasonal heat waves globally. As such, building occupants are at a continuously growing risk to overheating exposure inside the premises. Within the framework of this study a single-family house was examined with respect to its thermal performance in warm and cold seasons. A simulation model was developed in IDA-ICE software to evaluate annual thermal energy demand for a reference scenario, 3 shading scenarios and for an optimized scenario. At an optimized scenario that incorporates mechanical ventilation with a heat recovery unit and enhanced thermal performance of the external building elements, the annual thermal energy demand in the proposed single-family house was reduced by 39.5 % compared to the reference scenario, which is a significant step towards meeting nearly zero energy building criteria.