Validation of models to predict the thermal and ventilation performance of horse stables

Environmental control in horse housing facilities has become an important aspect in the construction of these facilities. Poorly designed stables may affect the animals’ health (environmental diseases) and so reduce their performance. In many cases, natural ventilation is used to ensure an acceptable stable environment due to considerable energy and cost savings. However, it is difficult to design a stable for acceptable ventilation rates and indoor comfort without the proper tools or guidelines. The easiest and most accurate way will be to use a dynamic thermal performance and ventilation simulation tool for the prediction of the ventilation rates and indoor conditions. The passive building simulation tool QUICK II was extended with natural ventilation and animal heat generation models for the design of animal housing facilities. The simulation tool was verified with actual measurements during five case studies to ensure its integrity and to illustrate its applicability in this field. The predicted indoor air temperatures of all the studies were within 1°C for 80% of the time. The predicted indoor air relative humidities were within 8% RH for 100% of the time.