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QUB is an innovative method enabling the experimental measurement of the total heat loss coefficient (HLC) of a building envelope in one night only. It is based on a simple theory, yet can be demonstrated to be accurate

Efficacité énergétique des bâtiments Mesures thermodynamique rapide États transitoires Capacité calorifique Coefficient de fuite thermiqueIn this study, we propose a way to develop rapid measurements of the energy efficiency of buildings. We show that measuring transient states during the heating and free cooling of an empty low-consumption house can lead to a rather good estimate of the total heat loss coefficient K and of the apparent heat capacity C of the building. These measurements can be made typically within a couple of days.

Birds and mammals have evolved many thermal adaptations that are relevant to the bioinspired design of temperature control systems and energy management in buildings. Similar to many buildings, endothermic animals generate internal metabolic heat, are well insulated, regulate their temperature within set limits, modify microclimate and adjust thermal exchange with their environment. We review the major components of animal thermoregulation in endothermic birds and mammals that are pertinent to building engineering, in a world where climate is changing and reduction in energy use is needed. In animals, adjustment of insulation together with physiological and behavioural responses to changing environmental conditions fine-tune spatial and temporal regulation of body temperature, while also minimizing energy expenditure. These biological adaptations are characteristically flexible, allowing animals to alter their body temperatures to hourly, daily, or annual demands for energy. They exemplify how buildings could become more thermally reactive to meteorological fluctuations, capitalising on dynamic thermal materials and system properties. Based on this synthesis, we suggest that heat transfer modelling could be used to simulate these flexible biomimetic features and assess their success in reducing energy costs while maintaining thermal comfort for given building types.

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