Adaptive thermal zone modeling including the storage mass of the building zone

In the course of the European Project Energy Efficiency and Risk Management in public buildings (EnRiMa), a mathematical model has been needed, predicting the room air temperatures based on the physical properties of the thermal zone and weather forecasts. Existing models based on physical building properties and weather forecasts did not deliver acceptable results. Based on the hypothesis that the missing thermal mass in the existing models is the main reason for the unacceptable results, a model based on physical properties and weather forecast, including the storage mass of a building has been developed. Based on this developed model and real data from a test site, Campus Pinkafeld of the University of Applied Science Burgenland, Austria, the model has been verified and validated. With the new developed model it is possible to predict the occurring room air temperature for a whole day with a maximum deviation of approximately ±1 K, which increases the precision compared to other models.