A Dimensionless Study Describing Heat Exchange through a Building’s Opaque Envelope

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The reviewer congratulates the authors for their study of builiding envelopes as an example of dynamic thermal systems. The following is a short list of comments.

Inclusion of a List of Symbols will be highly beneficial for a paper with the application of dimensional analysis. 

Line 175: sw should be s_w?

Is  s_w the same as s_p in (4)?

The most important point: The authors wrote between lines 317 and 325:

The thermal flux is not derived from other parameters (design thermal transmittance of walls and temperatures are indeed not suitable in very dynamic operative conditions without strong post-processing algorithms) but it is directly monitored through the specific Tile sensor [3]. Therefore, the output voltage is linear with the specific power [W/m²] in the range of interest. Accordingly, the thermal power in real time and the integrated energy during the whole season [kWh/m²] reflect the actual interaction among the building envelope, the energy systems operation, and the behaviour of occupants, with respect to the external boundary conditions identifying the energy performance of the wall.

Taking these comments into consideration and going back to the very beginning of "Method" based on Equation (1),

we have the troubling question concerning the validity of (1) and, if (1) is not valid, the question why dimensional analysis works in this case despite its questionable premise. The reviewer trusts the authors have insight on this matter and would appreciate to hear from them.

Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

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Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

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Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf