The use of a simulation tool in order to obtain the thermal performance passive solar houses in Portugal

This paper describes the methodology used in a simulation process that pretend to compare predicted and measured values. This process corresponds to one of the main task in a project denominated “Thermal Characterization of Passive Solar Construction in Portugal”. The aims of this two year project are to identify and quantify the thermal performance of those buildings. This study was carried out combining short measurements with a simulation tool. The present paper analyses the use of a simulation tool (ESP_r) [1] in modelling the building and calibrating the model by comparing it with the measured data. The methodology is discussed in detail for two passive solar houses and the discrepancies obtained in the process are analysed and correlated with the input parameters of the model.