## 2 Materials and Methods
### Full-Scale Test Modules  
An ongoing research study is being conducted in the Priority Research Centre for Energy at the University of Newcastle in Australia to evaluate the thermal performance of houses in the country. In this program, four full-scale housing modules have been constructed and their thermal performance is monitored according to different weather states. The construction of each of the models was performed on the Callaghan Campus of the University of Newcastle (longitude 151.7 E and latitude 32.9 S). The selection of the models was intended to ensure that they were representative of standard types of construction found in Australia [23]. The modules were separated at a distance of 7 m to diminish wind obstruction and prevent shading, and the design of all modules was identical consisting of a square floor plan with dimensions of 6 m \(\times\) 6 m, as illustrated in Figure 1[22]. The building materials in each of the modules included the following:  
Window: Clear laminated glass with a thickness of 6.38 mm with a light-coloured aluminium frame situated in the northern wall of every module. Figure 1: (**a**) North, (**b**) south plan and (**c**) layout of all modules; Cavity Brick Module (CB) Insulated Cavity Brick Module (InsCB), Insulated Brick Veneer Module (InsBV), Insulated Reverse Brick Veneer Module (InsRBV). Door: To allow the modules to be accessed, doors with high quality insulation were fabricated in the southern wall to ensure that heat losses were reduced and that the modules could be entered. Roof: Each roof was constructed from concrete and clay tiles with sarking insulation. Between the rafters, a 10 mm plasterboard ceiling was installed with R3.5 glass wool batts insulation. Slab: The entire building floor was covered by a concrete slab with a thickness of 100 mm. The modules were all designed in the same way with identical construction materials apart from the walling systems; consequently, the naming of the modules is based on the walling system used in the construction [22]. Cavity Brick Module (CB); The CB module walling comprised a pair of 110 mm brickwork skins separated by a 50 mm cavity and a 10 mm render covering the inside walls, as illustrated in Figure 2a. Insulated Cavity Brick Module (InsCB); The InsCB module has two 110 mm brickwork skins divided by a 50 mm cavity containing R1 polystyrene insulation, and the inside walls are coated in a 100 mm internal render, as illustrated in Figure 2b. Insulated Brick Veneer Module (InsBV) In the InsBV module, the inside walls comprised an internal frame constructed from timber with low-glare reflective foil and R1.5 glass wool batts covered by 10 mm plasterboard; the outside walls were fabricated utilising a 110 mm brickwork skin, as demonstrated in Figure 2c. Insulated Reverse Brick Veneer Module (InsRBV) For the inside walls, a 10 mm internal render covers a 110 mm brick skin. The outside walls consist of a 2-3 mm acrylic render on 7 mm fibro-cement sheets attached to a timber stud frame with R1.5 glass wool batts insulation, as illustrated in Figure 2d. For each module, in excess of 100 sensors were placed for the purpose of recording the outside weather conditions as well as the inside environment; data recording was performed at 5 min intervals throughout the testing period utilizing Datataker DT600. The air temperature within each of the \"free-floating\" modules with no mechanical heating or cooling will be specifically determined by the outside weather conditions. None of the models were ventilated and the inside air temperature was recorded at an elevation of 1200 mm within the structures [24]. Figure 2: (**a**) Cavity Brick Module walling system; (**b**) Insulated Cavity Brick Module walling system (**c**) Insulated Brick Veneer Module walling system. (**d**) Insulated Reverse Brick Veneer Module walling system. Amended to the Section 2.1 \"Full-Scale Test Modules\"  
The sensors were installed in each module with a minimum of 40 sensors as required by ASHRAE55 to measure the thermal comfort performance of a small room.