Short Course Outline

Course Outline

1          Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions  

1.1        Introduction      

1.2        Kyoto Protocol

1.3        Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

1.4        Heating and Cooling of Australian Homes          

1.5        Energy Source Emissions         

1.6        Efficiency of Conversion in providing Heating and Cooling        

1.7        Housing Trends

1.8        The Building Code of Australia  

1.9        Reducing Emissions by Improving the Building Envelope           

1.10      Climatic Variability of Energy Requirements       

1.11      Appendix Energy and Power     

1.11.1   Heat    

1.11.2   Electricity         

2          Climate           

2.1        Introduction      

2.2        Climatic Variables         

2.3        Dry Bulb Temperature   

2.4        Wet Bulb Temperature  

2.5        Absolute and Relative Humidity 

2.6        Wind Speed and Direction        

2.7        Australian Climate Zones          

2.7.1     Tropical (Hot Humid Summer, Warm Winter)       

2.7.2     Sub-Tropical (Warm Humid Summer, Mild winter)

2.7.3     Hot Dry (Hot Dry Summer, Mild Winter) 

2.7.4     Hot Arid (Hot Dry Summer, Cold Winter) 

2.7.5     Warm to Mild Temperate (Mild to Warm Summer, Cool to Cold Winter)     

2.7.6     Cool Temperate and Alpine (Mild to Hot Summer, Cold to Very Cold Winter)          

2.8        Climate Zones for the purposes of Thermal Simulation   

3          Thermal Comfort         

3.1        Introduction      

3.2        Heat Exchange with the Environment     

3.3        Temperature Self Regulation     

3.4        Quantifying Thermal Comfort    

3.5        Outdoor Temperature and Thermal Neutrality      

3.6        Cooling Effect of Moving Air    

3.7        Psychrometrics

3.7.1     New Effective Temperature, ET*

3.7.2     Comfort Zones for some Australian Cities           

3.7.3     Clothing           

3.7.4     Metabolic Rate 

4          Thermal Principles      

4.1        Heat Flow between a Building and its Surroundings        

4.1.1     Winter  

4.1.2     Summer           

4.2        Heat and Temperature   

4.3        Heat Capacitance         

4.4        Modes of Heat Transfer

4.5        Electromagnetic Spectrum        

4.6        Optical Properties of Materials  

4.7        Emittance        

4.8        Solar Radiation

4.8.1     Absorption by the Atmosphere   

4.8.2     Components of Solar Radiation  

4.8.3     Units of Measurement   

4.8.4     Colour and Absorptance

4.9        Calculation of Heat Flow           

4.9.1     R Values          

4.9.2     R values of Bulk Materials         

4.9.3     Resistance of Air Films 

4.9.4     Resistance of Air Spaces          

4.9.5     Building Section U Value           

4.9.6     U Values of External Floors       

4.9.7     U Values of Roof-Ceiling Combinations   

4.9.8     U Values of External Walls        

4.9.9     Comparison U Values    

4.9.10   U Value of Waffle Pod Slabs     

4.9.11   U Value of a Partially Insulated Ceiling   

4.10      Heat Delivery   

4.11      Appendix Conductivity Tables   

4.12      Appendix Colour and Absorptance        

5          Solar Geometry           

5.1        Apparent Motion of the Sun      

5.2        Modelling the Sky        

5.2.1     The Path of the Sun at Different Latitudes           

5.2.2     Sunpaths for Australian Locations          

5.2.3     Modelling the Skyline    

5.2.4     BERS Pro Solar Position Tool    

5.3        Vegetation for Shading 

5.4        Zoning for Sunlight       

5.5        Modelling Overshadowing with BERS Pro          

5.6        Magnetic and Geographic North

6          Thermal Mass 

6.1        Introduction      

6.2        Specific Heat and Volumetric Heat Capacity      

6.3        Classifying Thermal Mass         

6.4        Temperature Swing and Time Lag          

6.5        Location of Thermal Mass         

6.6        Contact with the Ground           

6.7        Earth Bermed Walls and Earth Covered Roof     

6.8        Single Level versus Two Storeys           

7          Insulation        

7.1        Introduction      

7.2        Bulk Insulation  

7.3        Reflective Insulation     

7.4        Ceiling and Roof Insulation       

7.5        Wall Insulation  

7.6        Floor Insulation and Carpet       

7.7        Thermal Bridging          

7.7.1     Bridging in Walls           

7.7.2     Bridging under Roofs     

8          Glazing           

8.1        Introduction      

8.2        Transmittance of Radiation through Glass          

8.3        Reflection, Absorption and Angle of Incidence  

8.4        Reducing Solar Gain     

8.4.1     Glass Types     

8.4.2     Solar Radiation on Vertical Surfaces       

8.4.3     Shading of Windows     

8.4.4     Eaves  

8.4.5     External Shading Devices other than Eaves        

8.5        Reducing Heat Transmittance    

8.5.1     Heat Transfer through Windows 

8.5.2     Frames

8.5.3     Glass   

8.5.4     Window Coverings       

8.6        Designing for Daylight  

8.6.1     Visible Transmittance through Glazing    

8.6.2     Illuminance Distribution 

8.6.3     Glare   

8.6.4     Clerestory Windows and Skylights         

8.7        Area and Orientation of Glazing 

8.8        Interaction with Mass and Insulation       

8.9        Windows for Australian Climates           

8.9.1     Temperate Climate        

8.9.2     Coastal Sub Tropical Climate     

8.9.3     Hot Climate      

9          Air Movement  

9.1        Modelling Air Movement           

9.2        Infiltration         

9.3        Wind Shelter    

9.4        Wind Speed Data Modification 

9.5        Ventilation of the Occupied Areas of the Building          

9.6        Airflow through Windows and Doors     

9.7        Insect Screens 

9.8        Stack Effect Ventilation

9.9        Roof Space Ventilation 

9.10      Floor Space Ventilation

9.11      Forced Ventilation        

10         Thermal Simulation    

10.1      Elements of the Simulation Process      

10.2      Modelling Heat and Air Flow     

10.3      Modelling Ventilation    

10.4      Climate Data Files        

10.5      Occupant Comfort Assumptions           

10.6      Comfort Settings and Period of Interest

10.7      Internal Heat Gains       

10.8      Building Materials         

10.9      Building Elements        

10.10    Building Dimensions     

10.11    Thermal Simulation       

10.12    Area Adjustment Penalty           

10.13    Star Bands