Simulation strategy and sensitivity analysis of an in-floorradiant heating model

Heating Canadian homes is an energy intensive endeavour. Factors such as the northerly climate and dispersed population cannot be avoided but inefficiencies with heating system design can. The mismatch between the grade of heat required to heat a home and that produced by conventional heat sources results in large amounts of wasted energy and exergy. Low–grade heating sources, such as ground source heat pumps, when combined with low-temperature distribution systems offer a more suitable and efficient means of heating homes. Using whole building simulation to analyse the feasibility of infloor radiant heating for use with a low-grade heating system is the focus of this study. The goal of this research was to create and verify a means of modelling in-floor, radiant heating within the building simulation program ESP-r’s building thermal domain, and to utilize this model to provide a sensitivity analysis comparing the temperature and end-use energy requirement profiles of in-floor radiant and forced air systems under various control scenarios. The findings show that an approximate procedure for modelling in-floor radiant heating is an effective tool for residential heating system comparison as well as for studying the feasibility of a low-temperature residential HVAC system.