REAL TIME TESTING OF WEATHER-RELATED BEHAVIOUR OF BUILDINGS

Abstract: The weather-related behaviour of buildings is measured and patterned in real-time fashion by means of a computer which is capable of calculating automatically and in real-time fashion the parameters which provide a pattern for weather-related behaviour.

Description: Real time testing of weather-related behaviour of buildings It is a common object to make buildings comfortable and economical in terms of indoor climate and energy. The basis for planning and further development of alternat¬ ives is close control of indoor climate and energy flows. Energy flows for a year typical of a district should be calculated within the range of a few percent. If a decision is made to employ e.g. masses or a solar col¬ lector on the basis of cost/utility aspects for the con¬ servation of heat, it is necessary to have accurate in¬ formation about their effects on energy flows and in¬ door climate. Energy flows and indoor climate are mostly affected by weather conditions outside the house. The most important factors of weather are remperature, wind and solar radiation. The interaction between weather conditions and indoor climate as well as energy flows of a building is called weather- related behaviour of a building. Thus, the process in question is affected by outside weather, indoor conditions of a building, lining of a building, masses of a building, technical systems of a building and habits of the users of a building. The comparable degree of control over the weather-related behaviour of buildings is necessary e.g. for designers, researchers, developers, housing authorities and qual¬ ity controllers, in close operation control for setting off alarm about- deviations, in anticipatory control " for calculating proper provisions according to delays, etc. Approximately one percent accuracy has been reached ex¬ perimentally in controlling the energy flows. At present, it has been quite often found that the real consumption has only been half of what was calculated. It has also become a common practice to justify calcul¬ ations by claiming that the differences are only a result of different life styles. However, the reason lies in incorrect modes of calculation and in errors or defects in available basic information. A method of the invention can also be applied to super¬ vision and control of comfortable conditions and energy consumption in buildings, the energy consumption of a building being measured in terms of real time and the consumption being controlled in terms of real time or with short operating cycles by means of a proper pattern of weather-related behaviour. As the energy efficiency of small house linings is im¬ proving, the share of so-called freely available sources of heat has increased in satisfying the heat requirement. The residents' ways of living have a substantial effect on the energy consumption of a building, e.g. through the available sources of heat. This is why the energy consumption of two similar buildings may vary in practic¬ al conditions at 1:3. Thus, it has been difficult to obtain reliable comparative data about the energy con¬ sumption of buildings. A simple pattern has been creat¬ ed for the energy consumption of a building, the para¬ meters of said pattern being measured during a period of 24 to 48 hours. During this period, the actual use of a building is simulated by means of a standard pro¬ gram with the help of electric resistances. Thereafter and by means of annual meteorological data, it will be possible to use the pattern to calculate the annual energy consumption of a building in a manner essential¬ ly more reliable than before. The energy consumptions anticipated by means of 'the pattern correspond well to measured results. If compared to. the presently used degree-date technique, the consumption of heating energy calculated by means of the pattern will be es¬ sentially lower. The share of freely available sources of heat will be typically about 30 % of a building's heating requirement but may rise at its best to more than half of said requirement. The method is capable of eliminating disturbing and hard-to-measure factors from the interaction process of weather and building. Ventilation can be standard¬ ized by adjusting it to a desired value prior to test¬ ing. The factor that is most difficult to measure in small buildings is the resident's influence. Accord¬ ing to fig. 1, the resident is replaced by a simulator (e.g. simply a hot-air blower) whose power consumption corresponds to the heat output of a resident. In test¬ ing, the same simulators represent also the action of a TV-set, kitchen range, sauna stove, lights and the like electrical appliances. In a well-advanced method, the commands to simulators are transmitted through the mains of a building. In one preferred embodiment, the solar radiation is measured inside the window and the screening provided by glazings is found out by flashing a standard light source outside the window. Fig. 1 shows a layout of a test target according to the invention, fig. 1 illustrates the energy flows of a building, fig. 3 shows- estimated and measured energy flows (temperatures) , figs. 4 and 5 illustrate required energy and its costs. The measurements are effected by means of a data collect¬ or, having a computer connected thereto. The computer tests the building according to a program chosen by the operator. The program includes starting of the afore¬ mentioned hot-air blowers in compliance with the use of a house as well as variation of indoor temperature for finding out the setting and solidity of the house. Simultaneously or in real time with the proceedings, the testing mechanism measures the reasons and con¬ sequences of interaction and produces a mathematical pattern thereof. In a greatly simplified manner, the pattern in fig. 2 shows the energy flows of a building. According to statistical mathematics, a pattern will be more and more representative when increasing the number of samples. Quadrupliσation of the number of samples always doubles the accuracy. A sample here is a measuring interval which can be from about a second to an hour. In practice, an hour is probably most suitable since the weather-related behaviour of a building is an extremely slow process, the delays be¬ ing even dozens of hours. When the accuracy of a pattern is sufficient, i.e. the following sample no longer changes the objective of a pattern, the testing can be stopped. By that time, the testing mechanism recognizes the weather-related behavi¬ our of a building. During the testing period, this means that the estimated energy flows or temperatures correspond sufficiently well to those measured, which is the case in fig. 3. The parameters, obtained from a building for explaining the weather-related behaviour during a test period, ex¬ plain the consumption the same way in any weather. Thus, it is possible to output e.g. the energy flows of a year at a target in question and also in a desired district in a desired country. It is also possible to output maximum effects and the minima and maxima of in¬ door temperature in a chosen weather. Eventual results are shown in figs. 3, 4 and 5 in the form of energy and mone . According to the performed tests, the accuracy of re- producibility is equal to the accuracy of a pattern in a single test. Thus, the method provides the same re¬ sult regardless of the test period provided that the characteristics of a building have remained the same. The expositors needed in a pattern of weather-related behaviour are somewhat dependent on a target. Typical¬ ly needed are e.g. - weather information - stationary thermal conductance - transient thermal conductance - heat capacity of building - indoor temperature of building - delay of building - mode of operation of heating equipment regulator - utilization of freely available sources of heat - size of windows The values of expositors are obtained in a real-time pattern from measured results by means of statistical mathematics. The designer can use the same pattern by giving experimental values to expositors. By means of the novel method, the weather-related behaviour of a building can be brought under control - in real time or as quickly as possible - totally objectively, the method being automatic - at desired accuracy since the increased accuracy only requires more measuring time presuming that measure¬ ments are representative - economically in view of the present energy researches. Compared to typical energy studies, this novel method is believed to reduce costs with reliability better than before - tester can be left in building to produce continuous estimate of energy flows and temperatures. The estim¬ ate can then be used for operation control or calcul¬ ations of control anticipations.

Claims: Claims 1. A method of testing the weather-related behaviour of buildings, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the weather-related behaviour of a building is measured and patterned in the real-time fashion by using a computer. 2. A method as set forth in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that said computer calculates automatically and in real-time fashion the parameters which provide a pattern for weather-related behaviour. 3. A method as set forth in claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that, simultaneously with testing, said computer controls the simulators representing residents and electrical appliances. 4. A method as set forth in any of the preceding claims for supervision and control of the comfort and energy consumption of buildings, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the energy consumption of a building is measured in real-time fashion and consumption is controlled in real-time fashion or with short operating cycles by means of a pattern of weather-related behaviour. 5. A method as set forth in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that data transmission is effected through the mains of a building. β. A method as set forth in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that, solar radiation is measured inside the window and the screening of glazings is found by flashing a standard light source outside the window.

Inventors: ERKIOE EERO, HEINOLA REINO, PUKKILA ILKKA, RANTAMA MARKKU, ERKIOE, EERO, HEINOLA, REINO, PUKKILA, ILKKA, RANTAMA, MARKKU
Applicants: EKONO OY
Application year: 1985
Main classification: F24D19
IPC codes: F24D19, G05D23