Effects of window size and thermal mass on building comfort using an intelligent ventilation controller

A prototype microcomputer-controlled thermostat was developed that can manage airflow according to cooling the needs in a building and the resources in the environment. This intelligent control system measures both indoor and outdoor temperature and uses decision rules to control a whole-house fan, in addition to the furnace and air conditioner. No such residential thermostat is currently commercially available. This paper presents the controller strategy that optimizes cooling with outdoor air. This paper also quantifies the effects of modifying the amount of thermal mass and the window area on indoor comfort when using this controller. These test confirm that smaller windows and more mass performed better than larger windows and less mass, and that higher volumes of controlled ventilation outperformed fixed ventilation rates.