Modeling a Basic Heat Transfer Process

This model examines the lumped heat transfer between the ambient environment and a one room residential building using a resistance and capacitance thermal network (RC). Resistances are used to model convection at the wall outside and inside surfaces, and conduction through the wall layers. Capacitors represent the thermal energy storage of the wall layers. An electric baseboard heater is used to heat the room to a comfortable temperature set by the user in the User_Dashboard. Two heating scenarios are examined based on Pre-COVID commuting to work and COVID work from home. The associated heating bill is calculated for each case.

The following simplifying assumptions are made:
-The interior zone air is well mixed such that the entire air volume is at a uniform temperature.
-A constant convective heat transfer coefficients are assumed for the interior and exterior wall surfaces.
-long-wave radiation is neglected in this simulation