Three-dimensional unsteady energy simulation of building envelopes composed of hollow concrete blocks

Building Energy Simulation (BES) tools commonly use 1-D formulation for computing conductions loads through building envelopes. As this assumption may cause significant errors on the prediction of building energy and thermal performance, this work proposes a methodology for taking into account the 3-D heat transfer phenomenon nature and compare the results for three case studies. The different approach is also used to investigate the effects of considering brick’s cavity detailing with convection and radiation phenomena on the results of transient simulations at the building scale. The present method has the potential to increase precision in the energy analysis of buildings and analyse more precisely the performance of elements of complex geometry. The results demonstrate that traditional simulation methods may not ensure good precision. The magnitude of relative errors varies significantly in each case study.