CFD Investigation of Enhancing Natural Ventilation in Attached Family House Buildings in Hungary

Abstract

Energy consumption of the residential sector in Hungary is 12% higher than the EU average. Most of existing house buildings in Hungary are inefficient in term of their indoor comfort and energy consumption. This is where the refurbishment process takes a vital role bringing these houses back on the track of achieving the UN sustainable development goals. When a responsible refurbishment is conducted, it leaves room for integrating passive methods to enhance the building behaviour. One of the most important passive methods is utilizing natural ventilation in order to reduce the cooling energy and to improve the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). This research is investigating the integration of a passive ventilation solar chimney into an attached family house in Hungary as a part of its refurbishment process. This paper is a part of an extended research by the main author. The investigation utilizes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Different operation scenarios are tested, compared, and analysed. The simulation results demonstrate the functionality of the integrated solar chimney and the skylight as a ventilation outlet. In transitional seasons, it can provide accepted indoor comfort as the results of air change rate, indoor airflow velocity and indoor temperature indicate.