Abstract
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This paper describes a methodology for coupling an
advanced model of the thermo-regulatory system of
the human body that describes its physiological
processes, a comfort model that evaluates thermal
sensation and comfort, and the ESP-r building
simulation software that computes the transient
thermal response of a building model.
The objective of this study was to utilise the
physiology and comfort models to dynamically
modify the heating and cooling temperature set points
of a zone controller in ESP-r, in accordance with the
computed human thermal sensation and achieve realtime
thermal comfort management.
The comunication between the software is managed
by the ESP-r controller, which at each simulation time
step prints the building states on text files. The
building states are then used by the physiology and
comfort models to compute the perceived sensation
and comfort metrics. These metrics are utilised by a
logic in the controller of the indoor conditions to
calculate the temperature set point corrections for the
next time step. Simulation results were generated for
a single zone model, using UK climate, over five
winter and five summer days. Both winter and summer
tests showed the expected behaviour in set point
modification. The integration of the comfort model
during the simulation of the case study building shows
promising results in adjusting the set point by
maintaining a relatively wide temperature range that
ensures the building does not utilise excessive energy
to maintain a narrow comfort band and at the same
time that local thermal comfort requirements are
satisfied.