EFFECT OF GROUND THERMAL INERTIA ON THE ENERGY BALANCE OF COMMERCIAL LOW-RISE BUILDINGS

Commercial low-rise buildings are characterized by large volumes and prevalence of heat transfers with the ground and the roof. The inertia of these lightweight structures is mainly given by the slab/ground. Heat transfer from/to the ground is an important term of the energy balance. The present study aims to assess the importance of both the one-dimensional and the three-dimensional modeling level used to account for the ground in the energy balance of a low-rise building. The computed energy consumption and thermal comfort are particularly sensitive to the inertia and the ground model for the tested configuration of commercial buildings; especially for the summer period when no cooling system is used. However, during the winter period when the heating system is operating, the simple one-dimensional model gives results similar to the more complex three-dimensional one.