Feasibility of wireless measurements for semi-empirical multizone airflow model tuning

The feasibility of wireless measurements for rapid tuning of a multizone airflow model was extensively investigated using a small-scale residential building as a test site. The main objective of the research was to provide fundamental information, such as measurement time and cost for various measurement techniques, needed for selecting an appropriate field measurement strategy. Potential advantages of the wireless measurement approach were evaluated. These include: portability and flexibility, fast equipment setup, time synchronized data collection, negligible interruption to the occupants’ activity during the measurement, and installation time and cost savings. Currently, the high equipment cost of the wireless approach, relative to more conventional techniques, may offset the noted advantages and be the highest barrier to the wide use of wireless sensors in field measurements. Consequently, conventional hand-held measurements can be more economical, but the stability of the building HVAC system operating status should be considered before selecting the hand-held measurement approach. System stability and the ambient and internal building load status to which it is responding have significant impact on the model tuning usefulness of this approach