Study on Floor Heating and Cooling Systems with Thermal Storage

The purpose of this paper is to consider the availability and problems of floor heating and cooling systems. We measured thermal performance of an experimental house with floor heating and cooling systems and carried out some simulations to clarify the effects of various factors on thermal environment and energy consumption. As a result of the experiments, we note that the air temperatures in the rooms with floor heating and coo1ing systems are stable all day through and are distributed uniformly throughout each room. When the slab surface temperature is lower than the indoor dew-point temperature in summer, condensation on the floor surface may occur. As a result of the simulations, we note that the ratio of PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) from -0.5 to +0.5 is mainly effected by building construction, heating or cooling operating time, type of 2nd floor, and window specification. Particularly, an insulated sliding door is effective not only to the indoor environment but also for the supply/extract heat rate