SRC: A systemic approach to building thermal simulation

SRC (System of Resistances and Capacitances), is a new building thermal simulation program which uses an RC-Network representation to model the thermal flow among building elements and an H-Network representation to model the humidity mass flow among building air volumes. Two coupled systems of ODEs are formed based on these representations, which are solved using a forward numerical scheme of varying time step. This systemic approach enables a linear, time varying approximation of building’s thermal behavior to be realized, allowing state space-based control techniques to be applied. SRC’s performance is evaluated using IEA-BESTEST diagnostic case buildings. The obtained results, which include annual heating and cooling demands as well as temperature data, are validated using the results of other software as references.