Indoor temperature conditions and energy demand of a Finnish detached house in a changing climate

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of passive strategies (orientation, thermal mass of building structure, window opening, and window properties) and the usage of an active cooling system on energy demand and indoor temperature conditions of a detached house in Finland in the current (TRY 2012) and future climatic conditions (2050). So that nine different cases were defined and simulated. The goal was to improve the indoor temperature conditions in the cooling season and analyze the effects of global warming on energy demand. Regarding the results of passive strategies, in the current climate, using openable windows would be the best solution for decreasing the cooling demand and providing acceptable indoor air temperature of the spaces. In this case, 96% of the time in the cooling season, the indoor temperature is below the maximum recommended indoor temperature (27 °C) of the thermal environment category III of the standard EN 15251 and EN 16798–1. While using an active cooling system in the hall of the upper floor, it is the only studied solution that can provide thermal comfort in all the spaces during the cooling season in both current and future climate based on the standards. In the future 2050 climate, the heating demand decreases much more than the amount of increase in the cooling demand. So that the total electricity demand of electrically heated detached houses in the future climate would be less than in the current climate.