Tools for performance simulation of heat, air and moisture conditions of whole buildings

Humidity of indoor air is an important factor influencing the air quality and energy consumption of buildings as well as durability of building components. Indoor humidity depends on several factors, such as moisture sources, air change, sorption in materials and possible condensation. Since all these phenomena are strongly dependent on each other, numerical predictions of indoor humidity need to be integrated into combined heat and airflow simulation tools. The purpose of a recent international collaborative project, IEA ECBCS Annex 41, has been to advance development in modelling the integral heat, air and moisture transfer processes that take place in “whole buildings” by considering all relevant parts of its constituents. It is believed that full understanding of these processes for the whole building is absolutely crucial for future energy optimization of buildings, as this cannot take place without a coherent and complete description of all hygrothermal processes. This paper will illustrate some of the modelling work that has taken place within the project and present some of the simulation tools used.