Experimental and computational assessment of an energy-saving innovation in a customised testing cabin

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess the performance of an energy saving device, called ‘Thermocill’ in a customised test cabin, located in a controlled environment. With the UK domestic energy sector responsible for nearly 27 % of the total energy mix in 2022, and massive increases in the cost of energy on homeowners and tenants, simple and low-cost retrofit measures could potentially be of great value, if they prove to be effective at saving energy. The paper describes the experimental and computational methods in detail with the goal of setting an important example/standard for assessment of similar energy-saving innovations under the UK Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). This, in turn, would enable the performance of such innovations to be captured in the Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for Building Regulation compliance. On that basis, a test cabin was constructed at Salford Energy house 2.0 to investigate Thermocill’s impacts on energy consumption and loss within the cabin. The experimental procedure is subsequently compared against a series of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations conducted for a larger number of scenarios. The performance of Thermocill was explored at different room temperature setpoints (16, 21, and 24 °C), window types (air and argon-filled double-glazed), and with/without blinds. The results were presented for four main scenarios including ‘cabin without Thermocill/blind’, ‘cabin with blind’, ‘cabin with Thermocill’, and ‘cabin with blind/Thermocill’. The results were presented in the form of U-values and heat losses for the windows, while additional results were provided from CFD simulations. A good correlation between the experiments and the CFD is found, showing confidence in both methods. Findings demonstrated that, when Thermocill is in operation, it reduces the average U-value by around 3–4 %, which is considered a significant payback for a passive and economical measure. The methodology presented in this paper is expected to set an important example/standard for assessment of similar energy saving innovations under UK SAP. This, in turn, would enable the performance of such innovations to be captured in the EPCs for Building Regulation compliance.