Generic thermal model of electric appliances integrated in low energy building

This paper presents a generic thermal model of electric appliances as an auxiliary heat source in low energy consumption buildings. The electric appliances are firstly classified into four categories by their heat and mass transfers. The mathematical model and its electric equivalent circuit are proposed based on the first law of thermodynamics and the thermal-electric analogy. Then the correspondence between the proposed model and the ARX model is presented for a parametric identification. To illustrate this study, two electric appliances of the closed-heating category, a monitor and a refrigerator, are selected. Each model has been experimentally tested and identified in a well-insulated building. They are implemented in a simple RC-lumped building model and simulated using Matlab/Simulink. Both experimental data and simulation results are compared.