Simulation of thermal performance in an office building

Abstract

Computer simulation is becoming popular in assessing thermal performance in building. It can predict the energy consumption and also the comfort of the building. This paper focuses on the assessment of thermal performance in two storey office building in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, Johor. Field measurement on the thermal parameters was conducted for 13 days in March 2010. The office building was modeled using Ecotect software which also carried out the thermal analysis. The simulated results were validated with the field measurement data. The validation indicates a good agreement with discrepancy value of less than 10%. It also found that direct solar radiation and building fabric are significant factors affecting heat gain in the building. It is believe that with some design modifications for further investigation on the building will help improving indoor thermal condition.