Abstract
The ventilative cooling potential tool (VC tool) aims at assessing the potential effectiveness of ventilative cooling strategies by taking into account also building envelope thermal properties, occupancy patterns, internal gains and ventilation needs. The analysis is based on a single-zone thermal model applied to user-input climatic data on hourly basis. For each hour of the annual climatic record of the given location, an algorithm identifies over the occupied time the number of hours when ventilative cooling is useful and estimates the airflow rates needed to prevent building overheating. As validation of results, the ventilative cooling potential tool outputs are compared with the predictions of a building energy simulation model of a reference room in two different climates. The VC tool is particularly suitable for early design phases, providing building designers with useful information about the level of ventilation rates needed to offset given rates of internal heat gains.