Modeling and validation of the thermal performance of an affordable, energy efficient, healthy dwelling unit

Abstract

The thermal performance of an affordable energy-efficient single-story residential building designated as Tuskegee Healthy House (THH) was simulated by developing a computational model for the house using Visual DOE-4 commercial software. Visual DOE-4 package employs the same calculation engine of the proven DOE-2 building Energy Analysis program. The THH was built from conventional building materials and construction methods according to the southern building codes of the United States. Several energy efficiency and air quality control features were incorporated throughout the THH. The present model was validated by comparison of computed results with power consumption data available from a previous study of the same house. The experimental data were obtained for forced ventilation flow rates of 0, 28.3 L/s and 54.3 L/s. A favorable agreement between the model predictions and experimental data is observed which is indicative of the model’s accuracy. The simulations also show that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) energy requirement for THH is reduced when forced ventilation is increased during the summer months. However, ventilation during the winter months leads to a rise in THH energy requirement.