Numerical and experimental investigation on the thermal behaviour of the building integrating occupant thermal comfort

Simulation tools are widely used to model buildings in order to predict their indoor air quality and energy consumption. The prediction capability of the model is an influential factor in determining the ability of the building to be energy efficient and thermally comfortable. Thus, the validation of the developed models is crucial. In this context, this paper presents a numerical model developed using an object-oriented modelling tool based on the Modelica approach and a case study validation of this model. Then the thermal behaviour of the building and the occupants’ thermal comfort in the considered case study are investigated. The objective is to validate the developed model firstly by comparing predicted results with measured data regarding room temperature and relative humidity, and secondly by comparing the calculated thermal comfort indices (PMV and PPD) based on predicted results and measured data. The results show good agreement between simulations and experiments, with a maximum error in room temperature and relative humidity of 1.7 °C and 4.5%, respectively, and only 1% and 1.5% difference between averaged values of PMV and PPD, respectively.