Numerical analysis of the annual energy performance of timber buildings in Chile

The research focusses on the analysis of the annual energy performance of one reference building built according to different construction types: mass timber, timber frame and masonry. The buildings are simulated by means of the dynamic software Trnsys in three different cities of Chile (Concepción, Santiago and Osorno), distinguished by different climatic conditions. The developed dynamic models have been tuned on the energy performance of the real building, located in Northern Italy. The design of the HVAC system coupled to the simulated buildings involves a mechanical ventilation system, used for air change and dehumidification, and an air-to-air heat pump, used for thermal zones climatization. For each combination building-location considered in this work the overall energy performance is evaluated and compared one another, in terms of building envelope net energy demand, HVAC system primary energy consumption and heat pump seasonal performance factor (SPF). The analysis shows that, if the space heating energy demand is considered, the two wooden structures are characterized by a similar energy request, while the adoption of the masonry structure determines an increase of 26% for the heating energy consumption. The energy requirement for cooling is present only in Santiago, albeit in minimal quantities. Furthermore, taking into consideration the city of Santiago, it has been verified that the proposed air-to-air heat pump is characterized by a suitable efficiency, during both the heating and the cooling season: the calculated SCOP is around 4, while the value of SEER is approximately 3.