TABLE OF CONTENTS Almost since the advent of computerized applications, researchers have worked to computerize the methodologies that are necessary to do the following:
Calculate the heating-cooling load for a building
Calculate thermal comfort parameters for a given heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) installation
Optimize thermal comfort relative to energy consumption
These programs have progressed to the point where they are classified as one of the following:
Whole-building simulations
Localized thermal comfort simulations
Auxiliary applications
Whole-building simulations help the user to select the equipment needed and to necessarily incorporate the efficiencies of the heat generation equipment and heating or cooling distribution design. Localized thermal comfort simulations determine the amount and design of heating or cooling required to meet the specification for the room or area, but they do not incorporate energy conversion or transmission factors. Auxiliary applications are specialized programs that enhance the capability of the master program for particular building components or performance features.
The most comprehensive and well-known whole-building applications are the BLAST and DOE/DOE-2 building models. These complex programs reportedly have had fewer than 500 users in the United States, mainly government laboratories and departments, corporations, and large engineering design firms. These computer simulations treat each room in a building as a cell that is at a uniform temperature.
