Error Analysis of QUB Method in Non-Ideal Conditions during the Experiment

• Main Authors: Naveed Ahmad, Christian Ghiaus, Moomal Qureshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: overall heat transfer coefficient; building energy modeling; short-term thermal characterization methods; energy efficiency
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/13/3398

Overall heat transfer coefficient, also known as the intrinsic performance measurement of the building, determines the amount of heat lost by a building due to temperature difference between indoor and outdoor. QUB (Quick U-value of Buildings) is a short-term method for measuring the overall heat transfer coefficient of buildings. The test involves heating and cooling the house with a power step and measuring the indoor temperature response in a single night. Ideally, the outdoor temperature during QUB experiment should remain constant. To compare the influence of variable outdoor temperature, the QUB experiments are simulated on a well-calibrated model with real weather conditions. The experiments at varying outdoor temperature and constant outdoor temperature during the night show that the results in both conditions are nearly similar. A ±2 °C increase or decrease in the outdoor temperature during the QUB experiment can change the results in the measured overall heat transfer coefficient by ±5%. QUB experiments simulated during the months of winter show that the majority of results are ±15% of the steady-state overall heat transfer coefficient. The QUB results during the months of summer show relatively large variation. The large errors coincide with the small temperature difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures before the start of QUB experiment. The median error of multiple QUB experiments during summer can be reduced by increasing the setpoint temperature before the start of QUB experiment.