English

In the unsteady calculations of room thermal environments, two simple and effective methods were introduced to reduce computer efforts through two case studies. One method (method-A) was applied to a passive solar room analysis (caseA) and another method( method-B) was applied to estimation of energy consumption in an air-conditioned room (caseB). In method-A, flow fields are calculated intermittently, namely, calculated every Nta time step while temperature fields are calculated every time step here, Nta≥ 1.

The paper discusses the performance or a construction element: the Roof Solar Collector (RSC) with regard to the rate of induced natural ventilation which contribute to improve houses indoor thermal comfort. The RSC configuration was made by using modern materials: CPAC monier concrete tiles on the outer side and gypsum board on the inner one. The comparison of numerical results with available experimental data validated the developed model. The effect or RSC parameters mainly, tilt angle and length was analyzed numerically. Finally, a new configuration of RSC was proposed

MCA is a partner in a research group which is being funded by the European Commissions JOULE program to explore the application of passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) in non-domestic buildings (I). As part of MCA's task to design a full scale experimental building, special components were designed to catch the wind and distribute through the building spaces. To determine the most efficient form for these components, a series of wind tunnel tests was undertaken at the University of Ancona, Italy.

The ventilation performance in 59 terraced houses of similar construction was investigated using a passive tracer gas technique. Some thirty houses were ventilated through the original natural ventilation, while eight were equipped with an additional bathroom fan and 20 were retrofitted with a mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation system. All measurements were made simultaneously in March. The ventilation performance was computed using both single-zone and two zone approaches.

Collaboration on energy technology research and development through the International Energy Agency (IEA) contributes to the economic development, energy security and environmental protection objectives of Member countries. The IEA Energy Technology Collaboration Programme provides a framework for experts to work co-operatively and share results. The benefits typically include sharing costs, pooling resources , and avoiding unproductive research paths. Further, participants are able to spread the risks associated with the choice of research priorities .

Mechanical ventilation in buildings requires appropriate systems for heating and cooling. The costs of energy demand represent a high percentage of the global costs for climatisation. As a part of a project concerning these subjects the development of a computer code for evaluating energy load due to mechanical ventilation in buildings is in progress. The mathematical model is based on simplified equations to fit dynamically the psychometric curves. Inlet air flow rates are evaluated according to the more recent Italian regulations.