Analysis of energy demand in a residential building using TRNSYS

Abstract

Energy simulations of buildings complement or replace the static calculations used so far and provide detailed answers to questions such as: what is the energy demand for individual purposes in a building and how does it change over the course of a day, a month, a year and also enable a comparison of several design variants and the selection of the optimal one in terms of energy consumption. Therefore, energy simulations of buildings help make decisions to optimise architectural and installation solutions, leading to a reduction in electricity, gas and water demand for the designed building. They indicate to what extent individual factors affect the demand for heating, cooling and electricity. The results of the analyses can be used as a basis for design and system decisions, and also provide interesting feedback to the investor.

This paper focuses on the year-round analysis of a three-zone building in TRNSYS. Attention is given to the values of the heat transfer coefficients through the envelope, heating and cooling demand, the effect of heat gains/losses on the energy demand of the building and thermal comfort. The article points out that the correct determination of the energy needs of a building influences the correct choice of renewable energy source and the lowest cost of installation.