<p>Thermal energy systems’ resilience is especially importantfor extreme climates, such as arctic or tropical environments.While metrics and requirements for availability,reliability, and quality of power systems have been established(DOD 2020), similar metrics and requirements for thermalenergy systems are not well understood. In one of the firstattempts to address this deficiency, a study was conducted tobetter understand the level of reliability required for energysupply systems that will be capable of supporting environmentalconditions required for the facility’s mission, the comfort ofpeople, and sustainment of a building in arctic environmentsunder predominant threat scenarios.

<p>This paper is split into two parts. The purpose of Part I isto present the methodology and results of a unique temperaturedecay test conducted during the winter, along with blower doortests on five representative military buildings in Alaska. InPart II, the modeling analysis is compared and calibrated tothe experimental data collection for the thermal decay test(TDT). A reliable building model allows us to predict the maximumtime available to repair the heat supply system before thebuilding needs to be evacuated, when damage is done to equipmentor facilities critical to the building operations, or whendamage is done to the building itself. This will provide guidanceto building managers on evacuation and sustainmentprocedures for buildings in arctic climates that are affected byfuel or electrical disruptions.