Samuel Stamp, Robert Lowe, Hector Altamirano-Medina
Year:
2013
Bibliographic info:
Building Simulation, 2013, Chambéry, France

To successfully meet emissions targets and reduce energy demand in the built environment, high targets have been set for building fabric performance. However, field measurements to date have indicated that the measured as-built fabric heat loss of tested UK buildings is consistently and sometimes considerably higher than design values. Many of these results stem from co-heating tests – an in situ measurement of the heat loss across the entire building envelope. Widespread implementation of the co-heating method is however restricted due to its invasive nature, long testing duration and uncertainty in the result. The test’s reliability and accuracy are embedded in the available mix of weather and in the tested building’s characteristics. This paper presents the results of both simulated and field co-heating tests, showing how changing external temperatures and high incident solar radiation interact with the thermal mass and glazing characteristics of a dwelling and can reduce the accuracy of the test and often lead to systematic underestimation of heat loss.