Evaluation of Thermal Bridges Using Online Simulation Software

Abstract

In order to reach nearly Zero Energy Buildings, a thorough design must be given in designing proper junctions, which will overall reduce the impact of the thermal bridges on the thermal performance of the building envelope. It is well-known that a thermal bridge is a weak thermal area of the building envelope through which increased heat losses occur. For the thermal bridges' evaluation, several numerical simulation software exist on the market, but their usage implies knowledge regarding the numerical modelling and simulation using various numerical methods (i.e. finite element method, finite difference methods, and others). Due to time constraint, designers use thermal bridges atlases that provide values for the linear heat transfer coefficient for several types of thermal bridges. Nevertheless, the multitude of existing thermal bridges requires more and more atlases which are not feasible in elaborating, due to time constraints. In order to respond to this demand, the authors developed a software for the modelling and simulation of thermal bridges that can be easily accessed by practitioners. The paper presents the software its components and the way that the user can interact with it.