Natural ventilation in residential building archetypes: a stochastic approach based on occupant behaviour and thermal comfort

As houses become more energy efficient due to highly thermal resistant fabrics, the impact of natural ventilation on indoor comfort and on transient heating and cooling loads increases. These two constraints must be integrated within building performance simulation models when assessing the potential for electrical load shifting strategies in residential buildings placed in a smart grid environment. A natural ventilation model is developed and implemented for five residential building archetypes. A bottom-up methodology based on occupant behaviour, through the use of time-of-use data, is implemented at room level within EnergyPlus. A stochastic approach determines whether to open or close windows, depending on the occupancy state, the activity type and level, and the thermal comfort experienced. The algorithms proposed consider the main drivers governing window operation within a residential context. Focus is placed on the modelling challenges, and the impacts of the model are assessed using energy performance and thermal comfort.