Contribution of Thermal Mass to Energy Performance of Buildings: A Comparative Analysis

Ghoreishi, Amir; Ali, Mir M.

doi:10.5390/susb.2011.2.3.245

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…For instance, wooden exterior walls may have one-third of the active thermal mass in comparison to brick or concrete walls, depending on the composition. This difference may result in an increased space heat and cooling demand. − The influence of thermal mass on the heat balance depends on several factors, such as the climatic conditions at the building location . For example, Aste et al found differences in space heat demand of about 10%, while Dodoo et al reported only a minor increase of approximately 2%. , Despite the increased operational energy associated with wood as a construction material, it often displays a reduced environmental impact over its entire life cycle, depending on the end-of-life scenario. , Evidently, a tradeoff between material choice and building energy demand exists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of Buildings—What Matters?

Heeren

Mutel

Steubing

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The goal of this study was to identify drivers of environmental impact and quantify their influence on the environmental performance of wooden and massive residential and office buildings. We performed a life cycle assessment and used thermal simulation to quantify operational energy demand and to account for differences in thermal inertia of building mass. Twenty-eight input parameters, affecting operation, design, material, and exogenic building properties were sampled in a Monte Carlo analysis. To determine sensitivity, we calculated the correlation between each parameter and the resulting life cycle inventory and impact assessment scores. Parameters affecting operational energy demand and energy conversion are the most influential for the building's total environmental performance. For climate change, electricity mix, ventilation rate, heating system, and construction material rank the highest. Thermal inertia results in an average 2-6% difference in heat demand. Nonrenewable cumulative energy demand of wooden buildings is 18% lower, compared to a massive variant. Total cumulative energy demand is comparable. The median climate change impact is 25% lower, including end-of-life material credits and 22% lower, when credits are excluded. The findings are valid for small offices and residential buildings in Switzerland and regions with similar building culture, construction material production, and climate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of Buildings—What Matters?

Heeren

Mutel

Steubing

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…On the other hand, it could be assumed that in a typical application, it would not significantly affect the thermal behaviour. The dynamic DV model is able to predict within reasonable accuracy the thermal behaviour of typical buildings where the only relatively small active thickness of the structure interacts with the regularly varied heat gains (Johannesson 1981;Ghoreishi and Ali 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The comparison of design airflow rates with dynamic and steady-state displacement models in varied dynamic conditions

2020

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A temperature-based method is usually applied in displacement ventilation (DV) design when overheating is the primary indoor climate concern. Different steady-state models have been developed and implemented to calculate airflow rate in rooms with DV. However, in practical applications, the performance of DV depends on potentially dynamic parameters, such as strength, type and location of heat gains and changing heat gain schedule. In addition, thermal mass affects dynamically changing room air temperature. The selected steady-state and dynamic models were validated with the experimental results of a lecture room and an orchestra rehearsal room. Among the presented models, dynamic DV model demonstrated a capability to take into account the combination of dynamic parameters in typical applications of DV. The design airflow rate is calculated for the case studies of dynamic DV design in the modelled lecture room in both dynamic and steady-state conditions. In dynamic conditions of heavy construction in 2–4 hours occupancy periods, the actual airflow rate required could be 50% lower than the airflow rate calculated with the steady-state models. The difference between steady-state and dynamic multi-nodal model is most significant with heavyweight construction and short occupancy period (17%–28%). In cases with light construction, the dynamic DV model provides roughly the same airflow rates for four-hour occupancy period than the Mund’s model calculates. The dynamic model can significantly decrease the design airflow rate of DV, which can result in a reduction of investment costs and electrical consumption of fans.

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“…This study found that using thermal mass decreased the heating loads by as much as 47%, whereas a slight increase of cooling loads was observed. Moreover, a recent study conducted by Ghoreishi and Ali (2011) has shown that concrete thermal mass on average could save 7 to 10% of annual cooling energy consumptions for both office and residential occupancies in different U.S. climate zones.…”

Section: Thermal Mass and Energy Performancementioning

confidence: 98%

“…There are several factors that can affect the thermal mass behavior of concrete, including thermal diffusivity, heat capacity, building insulation, outside daily temperature swings, and the building design and operation (Ghoreishi and Ali 2011).…”

Section: Benefits Of Thermal Massmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parametric study of thermal mass property of concrete buildings in US climate zones

Ghoreishi

Ali

2012

Architectural Science Review

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Considering the ubiquity of concrete's structural, architectural, and environmental applications in buildings, a research study was carried out to determine how the thermal mass property of concrete could improve the energy performance of buildings. The results have shown that extreme climate zones can better exploit the thermal mass property of the material. This article initially reviews the fundamental concepts of thermal mass. It then specifically explores the impact of thermal mass concrete on building energy performance in six U.S. climate zones through Energy Plus simulation and analysis. The building occupancy types (office and residential), window-to-wall area ratio, and height are chosen as the parameters to evaluate the impact of thermal mass on building energy performance. In addition, the annual heating and cooling energy demands are selected as the measurement indices of building energy consumption. This article presents the results of the study, interprets them, and draws conclusions about the potential benefits of thermal mass for both residential and office occupancies, which are deemed to be important to researchers and design professionals. These results indicate that other influential design variables such as slab thickness and thermal mass distribution could also be taken into account to demonstrate broader implications and benefits of thermal mass in different climate zones.

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Contribution of Thermal Mass to Energy Performance of Buildings: A Comparative Analysis

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Environmental Impact of Buildings—What Matters?

Environmental Impact of Buildings—What Matters?

The comparison of design airflow rates with dynamic and steady-state displacement models in varied dynamic conditions

Parametric study of thermal mass property of concrete buildings in US climate zones

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