Towards a Simple Cold Box Adapted to Warm Climates: A Case Study in Mediterranean Climate

Abstract

The accurate estimation of the thermal transmittance of buildings’ envelope is fundamental to study the thermal behaviour of buildings. Thermal transmittance can be determined by means of theoretical and experimental methods. A method known as simple cold box (SCB) was designed in this research work. Such method consists of cooling the internal side of the wall so that a high thermal gradient is generated with the external ambient. To assess the performance of the method, a case study characteristic of the southern part of Europe was assessed with two-dimensional simulation. Time series of the external temperature were also used to guarantee a representative simulation. Based on these simulations, the results of thermal transmittance were analysed, as well as the deviation presented by the results according to a representative value of the façade. Likewise, the energy consumption related to the test was assessed by means of simulation using EnergyPlus. SCB can constitute an opportunity for engineers and architects to ease and hasten the task of improving the performance of buildings. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.