Full Description

Errors resulting from treating a house as an enclosure surrounding a single, well-mixed volume of air are explored in detail for a ranch house with a basement. A fairly typical ventilation pattern is assumed, and three quantities — the air exchange rate, the indoor pollutant concentration from a given emission, and the energy required to heat infiltrating air — are calculated and compared using both the one- and two-zone models for this house. In general, the errors were around 10% to 20% if the basement was included in the one-zone models and 30% to 40% if the basement was neglected. Other factors that affect the magnitude of these errors include the length of a pollutant release, the outdoor temperature, and the air exchange rate measurement protocol, as well as the particular ventilation characteristics of the house.

Units: Dual

Citation: Symposium, ASHRAE Transactions, 1985, vol. 91, pt. 2B, Honolulu, HI