Energy performance of earth-air heat exchanger: impact of various input parameters on simulation results

Earth-air heat exchangers can be considered as one of the current responses to the problem of rational use of energy and comfort in buildings. The aim of the Effipuits project is to validate the thermal performance of this solution experimentally and numerically for an oceanic climate. The modelling of an earth-air heat exchanger is considered through a critical review of the various tools. Then, the paper discusses the energy performance of an installation. Based on experimental site characteristics, two simulation tools were used, DesignBuilder / EnergyPlus and Pleiades + Comfie®. The results enabled the input data used by these tools to be analyzed and a critical analysis of the tools allowed the input data models to be refined.