Convective heat transfer coefficients in a full-scale room with and without furniture

The convective heat transfer coefficient at an outer ambient wall with a window exposed to natural climate was measured in a room with and without furniture. The method used was to estimate the heat flow from measured temperatures and solar radiation. The convective heat transfer was calculated as the difference between the heat flow through the building element and the calculated long-wave radiation. Even though the accuracy was at best +/- 15%, the effect of different heating and ventilation strategies could clearly be detected. Local coefficients may be more than 10 times the expected, due to ventilation or position of the radiator. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.