IDA-ICE is a building simulation software for determining the energy demand and indoor climate of one or more buildings, considering the annual climate. On the homepage of EQUA, the software developer and distributor (https://www.equa.se/de/ida-ice), the software is described as follows: "IDA ICE is an innovative and proven detailed, dynamic and multizone simulation application for the assessment of indoor climate and energy consumption of entire buildings. The physical models of IDA ICE are state of the art and the best available images of reality. The achievable calculation results convince by a high degree of agreement with measured data. Developed for the global market, IDA ICE offers simultaneous adjustments to local markets. This includes the translation of the entire program interface into many languages, as well as climate data, standard extensions, accessibility, customized reports and product and material databases. "
During the ABS-Network project, among other things, a semi-detached house for each family with approx. 120 m² of usable living space is modeled as a reference object to determine the energetic benefits of different STAF panel configurations. The following figure shows the 3D model of the semi-detached house modeled in IDA ICE with two 3.5 x 1.0 m STAF panels integrated in the façade. The objects surrounding the examination subject are also drawn to determine the shading, but without the zoning of the interiors.
The thermal characteristics of the STAF panel are mapped by entering specific parameters of the collector characteristic, previously obtained from data from measurements and detailed CFD simulations of the STAF panel. The simulations are carried out for the Graz site using a climate data set generated from measured values (based on real climate data from the recent past). With this model, the STAF panel can thus be simulated almost realistically on a virtual level. The panel interacts with the house technology of the building (hot water tank, heating system, local district heating network) and ultimately allows the estimation of the savings in energy that must otherwise be generated from fossil fuels.