UCL Discovery Stage
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery Stage

Characterisation and analysis of uncertainties in building heat transfer estimates from co-heating tests

Gori, Virginia; Johnston, David; Bouchié, Rémi; Stamp, Samuel; (2023) Characterisation and analysis of uncertainties in building heat transfer estimates from co-heating tests. Energy and Buildings , 295 , Article 113265. 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113265. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1-s2.0-S0378778823004954-main.pdf]
Preview
Text
1-s2.0-S0378778823004954-main.pdf - Published Version

Download (878kB) | Preview

Abstract

In recent years, measurement protocols for the estimation of the total aggregate building heat transfer coefficient (HTC) have provided sufficient empirical evidence to indicate that buildings often do not perform as intended. However, little research has been carried out into the associated uncertainties. Within this context, this paper reviews sources of uncertainty associated with co-heating tests; characterises these uncertainties and their impact on HTC estimates; and devises a method for the calculation of HTC uncertainty. The method proposed was applied to 14 co-heating tests, showing estimated total uncertainty ranging between 2.2-21.1 Image 1 (or 4.6-26.7% of the measured value) with a mean of 10.1 Image 1 (or 8.7%). The natural variation of HTC and often-observed inaccuracy of design calculations (the ‘prediction gap’) suggest that more accurate measurements may be of little benefit. Additionally, results suggest that weather conditions, challenging building design and poor experimental technique can all significantly contribute to HTC uncertainty. However, when suitable buildings are tested by experienced technicians and under suitable weather conditions, HTC estimates from the co-heating protocol are likely to provide a useful tool to assess and understand real-world building fabric performance.

Type: Article
Title: Characterisation and analysis of uncertainties in building heat transfer estimates from co-heating tests
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113265
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113265
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Co-heating test; Uncertainty characterisation; Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC); Field measurements; Thermal performance; Performance gap; Prediction gap
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10174819
Downloads since deposit
4,180Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item