WUFI® Plus enables the simulation of the hygrothermal behaviour of buildings – that is, not only the purely thermal behaviour, as is the case with most other building simulation models, but also moisture behaviour both within rooms and in all building components. To this end, in addition to the indoor climate, the hygrothermal conditions within the individual building components (as in WUFI® Pro) are analysed in one dimension for the specifically defined occupancy and operation conditions. The key issues are the building’s comfort and energy demand. Depending on the outdoor climate, as well as the building’s use and the ventilation and air-conditioning conditions, a situation-specific quantification of temperature and humidity conditions is enabled, both within the building and within the building components. Simulating the interaction between the building, users/use and building services allows for an integrated assessment of the indoor climate, hygienic conditions, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and the integrity of all building components, taking into account the heating and cooling energy required for this, as well as the humidification and dehumidification requirements.
Integrated models for the dynamic thermal calculation of three-dimensional thermal bridges and for calculating air exchange between the zones and the outside environment expand the scope of assessment. However, a multidimensional hygrothermal simulation as in WUFI® 2D is not included.
In addition to dynamic hygrothermal building simulation, WUFI® Plus also provides the complete procedure for Passive House design and certification, as well as for verifying summer heat protection in accordance with DIN 4108-2.
Targeted audience
Designers
Calculation of the heating and/or cooling demand
Hygrothermal design of structural components
Simulation of the indoor climate
Comfort rating indoor climate
System sizing technique
Analysis of thermal bridges
Passive House design and certification by Passive House Institute United States (PHIUS)
Consultants
Locating vulnerabilities in the building envelope
Damage investigations
Assessment of liability
Mold growth assessements
Building products companies
Determination of the required product characteristics
Assessment and comparison of individual components in a system
Evaluation of the influence of individual components on the indoor climate and energy consumption
Construction & housing companies
Drying of construction moisture and/or water damage
Ensuring the quality of a building’s energy performance
Avoiding poor performance and/or damage caused by the building design (e.g., summer overheating, mold, etc. …)
* Upon evaluating damage in existing structures, if the simulation correctly accounts for uncertainty (e.g., driving rain, leaks in ETICS, and/or convective moisture entry with lightweight components) and does not predict damage, then the workmanship is to blame. On the other hand, if the simulation predicts that damage can occur, then poor design is to blame.
Application
Typical questions
- Indoor climate, thermal comfort, and energy consumption calculations
- Hygrothermal component evaluation under use-dependent, dynamic climate conditions
- Implementation of energy-efficient ventilation to prevent moisture damage and mold growth
- Strategies to reduce overheating in summer (see also below)
- Influence of thermal and hygric storage masses on building energy consumption and indoor climate
- Hygrothermal building and component behavior in all situations from extreme to intermittent use
- The influence on energy demand of the need to dry construction moisture and/or moisture damage
- Ensuring damage-free building components when usage conditions change and/or renovation takes place
Results
- For each zone in the building: dynamic climate (temperature, humidity, and CO2 content), heating and cooling energy demand,humidification and dehumidification load, dynamic heat and moisture flows (solar, internal, ventilation, windows, and components), air flow rates (natural, mechanical, and interzonal), comfort indices (Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), operational temperature, etc …)
- For each component and each orientation, the temporal and spatial distribution of the hygrothermal conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and water content) saved as a WUFI® movie
- All component, zone, and plant engineering results in predefined format and/or as user-defined graphics
- MSExcel or text export of all dynamic component, zone, and plant engineering results
- MSWord export of predefined and/or user-defined output reports with complete project documentation and summaries of results
Typical questions
- Passive house design and certification
- Investigation of passive design strategies such as building orientation and geometry, shading, solar gains with sun protection, the use of thermal mass, and ground connections
Results
- General results include heating/cooling demand, heating/cooling load, and primary energy demand
- Detailed analyses include energy balance, heat flux, power consumption, heat fluxes in individual components, ventilation, systems engineering, appliances, hot water (consumption/distribution), and shading
- MSWord export of a comprehensive passive house certification report with a detailed description of all results, extensive graphs, and complete project documentation
Typical questions
- Proof of summer thermal protection as required by DIN 4108-2
- Determining the influence of thermal mass on the building response in summer months
- Analyzing the influence of building geometry and shading on preventing summer overheating
- Investigating the influence of windows and window properties, fixed sun protection, and shading control
- Analyzing land-use strategies and ventilation strategies for preventing summer overheating
Results
- Full report with over-temperature degree hours for each simulated zone in the building
- Hourly temperature gradients for each zone
- Histogram and table of operational temperature frequency
- Graphical presentation of the excess temperature degree hours per day and average daily temperature variation per month
- Detailed energy balance showing all heat flows, including breakdowns for all opaque and transparent components
The evaluation of results is the responsiblity of the user and not of the software. Assessing results requires experience and understanding of building science. It is recommended that all users attend a seminar dedicated to WUFI® Plus. The seminars educate users about basic building physics and give confidence for handling the software. In addition, such seminars provide information on new models and evaluation options.
Program details
The WUFI®-Wiki provides demo movies, guides and tutorials, and information on the physical background for WUFI®.
Additionally to the properties needed in WUFI® Pro, WUFI® Plus simulations also require detailed building envelope data and information on internal loads, set points, ventilation, and mechanical systems. Building geometry input is supported by a built-in Building Wizard, or by geometry import from SketchUp® or gbXML (e.g., from Revit®). The user can custom-enter realistic daily usage and mechanical systems profiles through the user interface, or the user can employ built-in databases that store standard schedules, internal loads, and engineering system components.
In WUFI® Plus, the user can choose between SI and US-IP units for data input, computation, and output of results. The WUFI® Plus user interface itself can be switched between the following languages: Chinese, German, English, Italian and Polish. The online help is currently only available in English.
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