Construction of house thermal nomogram software
(J Boland, and S Kravchuk)A major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is the provision of energy for heating and cooling of houses. If behavioural patterns are a significant component in the determination of energy use in this sector then these patterns should be identified to enable programs for lowering energy use in heating/cooling to focus on this aspect. This in turn would result in lowering of greenhouse gas emissions.
An associated Masters Degree project involved the design and implementation of an experiment to test the hypothesis that in temperate Australia behavioural changes are as important as architectural changes in the thermal performance of a domestic dwelling.
The experiment was performed using the thermal simulation software package BERS. Subsequently, a simplified model was developed for visualisation of the options available for energy use minimisation. Software has been produced to enable architects, builders and home owners to make informed decisions on building material selection. This software is currently being prepared for commercialisation.
The South Australian State Energy Research Advisory Committee funded this project.