Energy flexibility of residential buildings using short term heat storage in the thermal mass

A better understanding of the dynamic behaviour of buildings has been achieved in this paper. Contrary to other storage solutions (e.g. battery, hot water tank), the modulation potential of the thermal mass depends on several factors (level of insulation, type of emitter, etc) and varies over time (cold vs. transition season). The autonomy of a poorly-insulated building is relatively short, whereas passive houses have a long time constant. This characteristic implies differences in the control strategy to make use of the flexibility potential without violating comfort.