CONCLUSIONS

 

            The effect of mass and insulation distribution on heating and cooling loads was analyzed for six characteristic wall configurations. Correlations between structural and dynamic thermal characteristics of walls were discussed. The following set of conclusion was derived.

The analytical solution of the heat balance equation for the simple one-room model of a building, under periodic temperature variations, allows one to examine how material configurations in exterior walls affect the thermal stability of the building itself. A high value for the internal admittance amplitude, which enters as a parameter in the solution, definitely improves thermal stability, expressed as the amplitude of periodic oscillations of internal temperature in response to oscillations of the exterior temperature. A low value of the transmittance amplitude is less important. Most effective are wall assemblies with a high value of the structure factor j_ii, assuming that the thermal mass, located inside, is in good contact with the interior of the building.

            Whole-building energy modeling using DOE-2.E [5] was performed to predict annual heating and cooling energy demand for the one-story residential building. The results of the computer simulation lead to the conclusion that the material configuration of the exterior wall can significantly affect the annual thermal performance of the whole building; however, this effect depends on the type of climate. Walls with massive internal layers and with high values of the structure factor j_ii show the best thermal performance for different climatic zones: minimum annual heating and cooling energy demand. Differences in total energy demand between the configuration “all insulation inside” and the most effective configuration (from the point of view of energy savings) “all insulation outside” may exceed 11% for a continuously used residential building.