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2018 Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild co-organized by ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA

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A New Modeling Approach for the Assessment of the Effect of Solar Radiation on Indoor Thermal Comfort

Andrea Zani, Andrea Mainini, Juan Blanco Cadena, Stefano Schiavon, Edward Arens
Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
University of California, Berkeley, CA

Abstract: Thermal-comfort modeling has traditionally incorporated radiant effects via the metrics mean radiant temperature (MRT) and radiant temperature asymmetry. These metrics have not until recently, considered the effect of incoming solar radiation directly heating the occupants, though it significantly affects their thermal comfort. In this paper, we describe a new approach for the calculation of the hourly effective radiant field (ERF) and mean radiant temperature (MRT) for an occupant near various façade systems and office layouts. The new method uses Radiance to assess the hourly intensity of solar radiation that passes through a facade and lands on the human body. The proposed method, for commercial buildings, allows calculating with high accuracy the comfort effect of solar radiation on occupants throughout the year.
Pages: 181 - 188
Paper:
simbuild2018_C026