Calibration of a Computer Model of a Naturally-ventilated House Located in Southern Brazil

The main objective of this article is to present the calibration process of a computer model of a naturally-ventilated house built in southern Brazil. The house was monitored over two seven-day periods by using Hobo data loggers. The EnergyPlus computer program was used to create a computer model for the house; parameters related to air infiltration and natural ventilation were modeled by using the AirflowNetwork. The internal air temperatures obtained from the simulations were compared with those measured in the house. During the calibration process, parameters such as thermal resistance and absorptance of the materials, radiant heat gain generated by equipment, and coefficients related to air infiltration and natural ventilation were changed. In general, results obtained from the simulations were adequate. However, air temperature obtained from the simulations were higher than the actual figures when natural ventilation was considered. This may indicate a deficiency of the EnergyPlus computer program to predict air temperature of rooms under natural ventilation.