Long-Range Wireless System for U-Value Assessment Using a Low-Cost Heat Flux Sensor.

Area of Science:

• Building Science
• Thermal Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional heat transfer assessment in buildings is costly and time-consuming.
• Existing systems often rely on extensive wiring and external data processing units.
• Accurate U-value determination is crucial for energy efficiency in buildings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an economical and user-friendly system for assessing heat transfer in building envelopes.
• To enable simultaneous heat flux measurement for faster thermal isolation evaluations.
• To reduce the cost and complexity of evaluating thermal performance in large structures.

Main Methods:

• A multi-point system for simultaneous heat flux measurement was designed and implemented.
• A low-cost, 3D-printed heat flux sensor was developed.
• The sensor was integrated with a LoRa transceiver and two temperature sensors for data acquisition.
• The novel heat flux sensor was calibrated against a commercial Fluxteq sensor.

Main Results:

• The proposed system offers an economical and easy-to-use solution for U-value assessment.
• Simultaneous heat flux measurement significantly reduces evaluation time.
• The 3D-printed sensor demonstrated reliable performance after calibration.

Conclusions:

• The developed system provides an efficient and cost-effective method for evaluating building envelope thermal performance.
• This technology can streamline thermal isolation assessments in large buildings.
• The integration of 3D printing and wireless technology offers a promising approach for building diagnostics.