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The paper presents a review of existing literature in the field of coupling Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with Building Energy Simulations (BES) to better predict indoor environmental conditions and building energy implications. CFD is capable of providing a detailed analysis of airflow profile and temperature gradients in the space as well as better prediction of heat transfer involving convection and radiation. Whereas BES can provide dynamically changing boundary conditions to CFD to facilitate a precise transient analysis. Combining the two simulations provides a powerful framework to accurately predict building performance parameters. The review examines the variables exchanged between the two simulations and establishes that the Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient (CHTC) as the most important exchanged variable that can significantly improve the accuracy of energy simulations. Issues regarding the application of co-simulation mechanism are then discussed in terms of simulation discontinuities, along with strategies adopted by researchers to overcome the same. In the later sections, the review evaluates the applicability of co-simulation from the perspective of year-long building energy simulations and presents an overview of methods used in research to implement the same. Finally, the conclusions are discussed and the scope for future research in the field is presented. Practical implication : The review presents a critical analysis of essentially all major coupling strategies that can be used to perform a BES-CFD coupled analysis along with their strengths, limitations and possible application scenarios. Additionally, the problems associated with establishing the co-simulation are examined and various adopted solutions are presented along with methods implemented towards extending the practical applicability of such an analysis to encapsulate year-long simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the use of concrete in structural and cladding applications, and energy code requirements for inclusion of thermal insulation in building envelopes, an investigative study was carried out to determine how the interaction between thermal mass properties of concrete and thermal insulation in the building envelope affects the building energy performance. This study examines how the combination of thermal mass and insulation influences building energy use in eight U.S. climate zones through Energy Plus simulation. The measuring parameters include the concrete wall thickness and relative location of thermal insulation with respect to the thermal mass wall. Building energy consumption is measured in terms of annual heating and cooling energy demands, as well as total energy use. The paper presents conclusions about the potential benefits of thermal mass and insulation for office occupancy. The results have shown that in cold climates the addition of thermal insulation to a concrete enclosure provides significant further benefits beyond those provided by thermal mass alone, whereas in hot locations those benefits are fewer. These results also indicate that other influential design variables such as occupancy type could also demonstrate broader implications of the integration of thermal mass and insulation in different climate zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]