System and method for empirical electrical-space-heating-based building overall thermal performance estimation with the aid of a digital computer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12499392-B2
Application number	US-202218072631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2022
Priority date	Feb 3, 2014
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

The overall thermal performance of a building UATotal can be empirically estimated through a short-duration controlled test. Preferably, the controlled test is performed at night during the winter. A heating source is turned off after the indoor temperature has stabilized. After an extended period, such as 12 hours, the heating source is briefly turned back on, such as for an hour, then turned off. The indoor temperature is allowed to stabilize. The energy consumed within the building during the test period is assumed to equal internal heat gains. Overall thermal performance is estimated by balancing the heat gained with the heat lost during the test period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for empirical electrical-space-heating-based building thermal performance estimation with the aid of a digital computer, comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code; a thermometer located inside a building; an outdoor temperature data source; at least one portable electric space heater located inside the building and configured to:
stop operating at the beginning of an unheated period;
resume operating at the end of the unheated period and continue operating for a duration of a heated period; and
stop operating at the end of the heated period; and
a computer processor interfaced to the storage medium, wherein the computer processor is configured to execute the program code to perform steps to:
record into the storage medium a baseline indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer and a baseline outdoor temperature taken by the outdoor temperature data source prior to the stop of the operation of the at least one portable electric space heater at the beginning of the unheated period;
record into the storage medium a starting indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer at the end of the unheated period prior to the resumption of the operation of the at least one portable electric space heater;
record into the storage medium a final indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer after a stabilizing period following the heated period;
measure energy consumed in the building from the beginning of the unheated period to the ending of the stabilizing period;
estimate an expected final indoor temperature at the end of the stabilizing period based on the at least one portable electric space heater not having been run for the heated period;
estimate overall thermal performance of the building using the measured energy, the indoor temperatures, the baseline outdoor temperature, and the estimated final indoor temperature; and
model a change to the overall thermal performance by one or more modifications to a surface of the building in accordance with:
= UA Total −( U j A j −Û j A j )= UA Total −( U j −Û j ) A j ,

where is the changed overall thermal performance, UA Total is the overall thermal performance, U j and Û j respectively represent existing and modified U-values of the surface denoted as j, and A j represents a surface area of surface j.

2 . A system according to claim 1 , wherein the outdoor temperature data source is one of an outdoor thermometer and a data source remote from the building.

3 . A system according to claim 1 , the computer processor further configured to determine at least one characteristic of a further heating source necessary for heating of the building with the changed overall thermal performance.

4 . A system according to claim 1 , the computer processor further configured to determine at least one characteristic of a renewable power source necessary to power the further heating source.

5 . A system according to claim 4 , wherein the renewable energy source is a photovoltaic system.

6 . A system according to claim 1 , the computer processor further configured to monitor at least one of electricity consumption and metered fuel consumption in the building from the beginning of the unheated period to the ending of the stabilizing period.

7 . A system according to claim 6 , wherein the computer processor is remotely interfaced to a monitor associated with the building.

8 . A method for empirical electrical-space-heating-based building thermal performance estimation with the aid of a digital computer, comprising:
providing a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code; providing a thermometer located inside a building; interfacing to an outdoor temperature data source; using at least one portable electric space heater located inside the building, comprising:
stopping operations of the portable electric space heater at the beginning of an unheated period;
resuming operating the portable electric space heater at the end of the unheated period and continuing operating the portable electric space heater for a duration of a heated period; and
stopping the operations of the portable electric space heater at the end of the heated period;
providing a computer processor interfaced to the storage medium, wherein the computer processor is configured to execute the program code; recording by the computer processor into the storage medium a baseline indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer and a baseline outdoor temperature taken by the outdoor temperature data source prior to the stop of the operation of the at least one portable electric space heater at the beginning of the unheated period; recording by the computer processor into the storage medium a starting indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer at the end of the unheated period prior to the resumption of the operation of the at least one portable electric space heater; recording by the computer processor into the storage medium a final indoor temperature taken by the indoor thermometer after a stabilizing period following the heated period; measuring by the computer processor energy consumed in the building from the beginning of the unheated period to the ending of the stabilizing period; estimating by the computer processor an expected final indoor temperature at the end of the stabilizing period based on the at least one portable electric space heater not having been run for the heated period; estimating by the computer processor overall thermal performance of the building using the measured energy, the indoor temperatures, the baseline outdoor temperature, and the estimated final indoor temperature; and modeling with the computer processor a change to the overall thermal performance by one or more modifications to a surface of the building in accordance with:
= UA Total −( U j A j −Û j A j )= UA Total −( U j −Û j ) A j ,

where is the changed overall thermal performance, UA Total is the overall thermal performance, U j and Û j respectively represent existing and modified U-values of the surface denoted as j, and A j represents a surface area of surface j.

9 . A method according to claim 8 , wherein the outdoor temperature data source is one of an outdoor thermometer and a data source remote from the building.

10 . A method according to claim 8 , further comprising determining with the computer processor a characteristic of a further heating source necessary for heating of the building with the changed overall thermal performance.

11 . A method according to claim 8 , further comprising determining with the computer processor a characteristic of a renewable power source necessary to power the further heating source.

12 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the renewable energy source is a photovoltaic system.

13 . A method according to claim 8 , further comprising monitoring with the computer processor at least one of electricity consumption and metered fuel consumption in the building from the beginning of the unheated period to the ending of the stabilizing period.

14 . A method according to claim 13 , wherein the computer processor is remotely interfaced to a monitor associated with the building.

Assignees

• Clean Power Res L L C

Inventors

• Hoff Thomas E

Classifications

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• G01K17/20 Primary

  across a radiating surface, combined with ascertainment of the heat-transmission coefficient · CPC title

• G01R21/02

  by thermal methods {, e.g. calorimetric} · CPC title

• G01K3/08

  giving differences of values (using thermoelectric elements G01K7/02); giving differentiated values · CPC title

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title