Indoor Environmental 

Control

Lecture 09
Dr. Ali Sedki
Thermal comfort

Thermal Losses and gains in

buildings
 Thermal comfort

CLASSIFICATION OF THE LOSSES Renewed air 80% Transmission

~20%
20% air Renewal
Roofs
~30%

Openings
~13%
Walls
~25%

Thermal 
Bridges Grounds
~5% ~7%
Thermal comfort
The heat losses of a room result from two distinct causes.
• Losses by transmission Dt (W): Heat flows crossing the walls (walls, the roof,
windows, grounds…).
• Losses by renewal of the air Dr. (W): because of the difference between
the quantity of heat carried by the air which leaves the room and the quantity
of heat brought by the air which enters there.
The Loss D (W) Total will be:
 Calculation of Dt:
Dt: Loss by transmission (W)
Ui: Coefficients of transmission total of the walls (W/m2°C)
Have: Surfaces of different the walls (m2)
: Difference between the temperature interior and outside (°C)
Bi: Factor of correction of the difference in temperature.
 Calculation of Dr.:
Dr.: Loss by renewal of air (W)
V: Volume of the Room (m3)
NR: Ventilation rate by hor (h-1)
0.34: Voluminal heat of the air (Wh/m3°C)
: Difference between the temperature interior and outside (°C)
Thermal comfort

Heat Loss = Conduction + infiltration

Heat loss throgh the envelope

The general heat loss formula is: Q=U*A*ΔT, or in other words, the heat loss of an
area size A is determined by the U value of the materials and the difference in
temperature between in and out (that is the difference in temperature of the two
surfaces, not the two air temperatures, which might not be quite the same. Below is
an adjustment for air temperatures).

Heat Loss via Infiltration

In addition to heat loss through the envelope via conduction, all buildings loose
heat through air exchange between outdoor and indoor.
Thermal comfort

Angle < 60°

Plancher haut

Plancher intermédiaire Plancher haut

Plancher haut

Plancher bas Plancher intermédiaire Plancher bas

Plancher intermédiaire
Plancher haut Plancher haut

Plancher intermédiaire

Plancher bas Plancher intermédiaire Plancher bas

Plancher bas
Thermal comfort

walls
The walls that have to be taken into account for calculations of heat losses by
transmission are the opaque, glazed or translucent walls separating the heated
room from surroundings that could be:
- Outside
- not heated spaces/buildings.
‐ ground

The walls which are not taken into account for the calculation of the thermal
losses are:
- Interior walls that are common between spaces or circulations considered
as belonging to the volume not heated of the building when the totality of
these walls are isolated.

Dimensions of walls
Dimensions to be used for calculations must be interior dimensions. Interior
dimensions are always taken as it is considered that heat flow are
perpendicular to surface.
Thermal comfort
BASIC INTERNAL PREFERED TEMPERATURE
Indoor temperature Tday Tnight Indoor temperature Tday Tnight
Dwellings Offices
Living, Bed room, Kitchen, Dining, Offices 21 °C 17 °C
21 °C 17 °C
Dressing room
Hospital, Private clinic
Bath, Shower 23 °C 17 °C
Patients rooms 20 - 22 °C 17 °C
Entrance, Release, Corridor,
18 °C 15 °C
Stairway, laundry, Store Operating rooms 26 °C
Schools, Universities
Rooms of radio 22 °C
19 to 21
Classroom, Library, Permanence 15 °C Rooms of consultation 22 °C
°C
Rooms of breeding of the
Access, Halls, Releases, Circulations, 25 - 30 °C
15 °C 12 °C premature ones
Stairway
Infants 22 °C
Gymnasium, Workshops 18 °C 15 °C
Rooms of spectacle
Light workshops 21 °C 17 °C
Removed external clothing 18 °C
Shower 23 °C 17 °C
Preserved external clothing 14 °C
Polyvalent rooms, Restaurants 18 °C 15 °C
Dorms, chambers, Cloakroom 21 °C 17 °C
Administration, Ganitor 21 °C 17 °C
Thermal comfort

The temperature basic interior are given in the tables above, according to the
use of the room. In fact the temperatures enters calculations of the loss by
transmission.
The night reduction of the temperature of the buildings makes it possible to
save energy! The economy during the night is more important than the
expenditure of energy to heat the building the morning. The night reduction
makes it possible to save fuel and to reduce as much pollutant emissions. The
heating is not cut but simply reduced. Even if the radiators are cold, the
ambient temperature drops little and for limited duration.
For the periods of cleaning of the buildings, the temperature of those will be
maintained with 16°C, including during the holidays, at the hours of occupation.
For the periods of inoccupation of the buildings, or part of those, the
temperature could be reduced until 12°C.
 Thermal comfort
AIR RENEWAL Natural ventilation:

To heat HLr. = 0.34xNxVx ΔT

Ventilation rate N
Dwellings
Why? Consequences? Living, Bed room, Dining. 0.5
Kitchen, Entrance, Hallway, Stairway 1.5
Bathroom, Shower 2
Schools, Universities
Thermal Installations Consumption of 
Classroom, Permanence 1.5
comfort Techniques energy
Halls, Releases, Circulations, Stairway 1.5
Library, Auditorium 4
To ventilate
Teachers Rooms, Administration 1
Polyvalent rooms, Restaurants,
2
Gymnasium
Why? Consequences? Hospital, Private clinic
patients rooms, operation rooms 0.5
consultation Rooms, Operating rooms 1
Theater 4
Good Quality of  Installations Consumption of  Store 2
the air Techniques energy Offices 0.5
Thermal comfort
A satisfactory ventilation of the occupied buildings, by means of the
surrounding air, is a fundamental requirement to obtain acceptable conditions
inside the buildings. It is, consequently, an essential element of the design of a
building and its equipment.

The renewal of the air involves however important thermal losses.

Ventilation can be natural or be forced:
•In natural ventilation, no ventilator intervenes. The air moves thanks to the
differences in pressure which exists between the frontages of the building
and thanks to the difference in density according to its temperature. The air
can penetrate in a building through the thermal bridges/ infiltrations.

•Forced ventilation, consists in creating a movement of circulation air in the

building so that the new air enters naturally to buildings spaces (offices, hotel
rooms,…) and sometimes the air is extracted by a ventilator in the “wet”
buildings (medical, wash-houses,…) or WC, kitchens,…. The new air go through
several building spaces to reduce pollution.
 Thermal comfort TABLE OF LOSSES CALCULATION
Room: ............................     Ti: ..................... (°C) Te: .................. (°C)
Length: ..................... (m)  Width: .................... (m)  Height: ........... (m)
Surface: ..................... (m²)  Volume: ..................... (m³)
Net Results
Walls Length Width Height Area U ΔT
Area (U.A.ΔT.b)
Ext. Wall (1)

Opening

Ext. Wall (2)

Opening

….

….

Ceiling

Floor
H.L.t=
Flow Q=
Air Renewal N= V = m³ H.L.r=
m³/H
Sum.
(0.34xNxVx ΔT)
Increases (%)
Total Heat Losses
H.L.(W)
 Thermal comfort

a) A single room home consists of external walls that are constructed of: 1.5cm plaster,
10cm hollow block, 5cm polystyrene, 5cm air layer, 10cm hollow block and 1.5cm of
plaster.
- The windows are double glaze, and the thickness of each glass panel is 6mm, and the
air layer between panels is 10mm.
- The floor is a concrete slab with thickness of 15 cm, covered by 6 cm sand, 2 cm
mortar, and 2 cm marble.

1. Calculate the Uw value of the external wall.

2. Calculate the Ug value of the window.
3. Calculate the Uf value of the floor.
4. Calculate the total heat losses from the house walls and floor when the outdoor
temperature is 0C and the indoor temperature is 20C, and the temperature of the
ground below is 12C.
Thermal comfort

Consider that:
- Rsi = 0.13 m²C/W for Vertical walls, and 0.17 m²C/W for
horizontal;
- Rse = 0.04 m²C/W;
- Conductivity of plaster =0.7 W/mC;
- Conductivity of polystyrene =0.03 W/mC;
- Resistance of 10cm Hollow Block R=0.1 m²C/W;
- Resistance of 15cm Hollow Block R=0.14 m²C/W;
- Conductivity of Glass =1.15 W/mC;
- Resistance of Air Layer 8mm R=0.15 m²C/W;
- Conductivity of Concrete is =1.2 W/mC;
- Conductivity of gravel is =2 W/mC;
- Conductivity of mortar is =1.2 W/mC;
- Conductivity of marble is =3.4 W/mC;
- U value of the ceiling: Uc=2.75 W/m²C;
- Each of the four windows is 2x1m²;
- The door is 2x1.2m², with 400W Losses.
 Thermal comfort
Roof NON HEATED BUILDINGS

Table of the Values “b”
Type of Room A B C D
Underfloor space 0.35 0.6 0.75 0.9
Technical shaft 0.5 0.7 0.8 1
Stairway 0.3 0.5 0.7
Attic 0.25 0.5 0.75 0.9
Insulated tiled roof 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Non insulated tiled
0.4 0.6 0.8 0.9
roof

Underfloor Parking 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.9

Full ground Garage
space Under ground
0.4 0.6 0.8 0.9
(Horizontal)
Type of air tightness of the room not
Situation Under ground
heated 0.6 0.75 0.9 1
(Vertical)
A No carries nor window, jointed well, no Non-
openings of ventilation ventilated Cellar 0.25 0.5

B All well jointed components, small openings Slightly Extension buildings 0.25 0.5 0.75 0.9
of ventilation ventilated Full ground (Horiz.) 0.3
some open joints or presence of openings of Full ground (Vert.) 0.6
C Ventilated
ventilation
Heated neighbor 0.2
many opened joints, or large openings of Strongly
D Non heated neighbor 0.35
ventilation ventilated
Thermal comfort

By space not heated, one understands a room not heated (under ground,
garage, additional building,…), a roof or an underfloor space.
In the calculation of the losses, all the coefficients of loss H (by transmission
and renewal of air) are multiplied at the end consequently difference in
temperature (Ti – Te).
Towards a space not heated, a reduced heat flux must be taken into account
by the coefficient of loss by transmission. For that, we consider the factor of
reduction of temperature B.
The following table presents, for some standard cases, the factors of
reduction B according to the renewal of air per infiltration for a non heated
room.