Abstract
In this study, we present a method for the rapid evaluation of thermal performance of building envelopes without the need of using sophisticated and time-consuming computational modeling. The proposed approach is based on the prediction of monthly energy balances per unit area of a wall assembly using monthly averages of temperature and relative humidity, as well as the elevation of a building’s location. Contrary to most other methods, the obtained results include how moisture content in the wall effects its thermal performance. The developed formulas for calculation of monthly energy balances are verified for nine commonly used wall assemblies in Central Europe in 10 randomly selected locations. The observed agreement of the predicated data was determined using advanced finite-element simulation tools and hourly climatic data, which makes for good prerequisites for the further application of the method in both research and building practices.
Highlights
A fundamental objective of building enclosures is to protect occupants from weather effects.each part of a building envelope needs to meet certain thermal requirements in order to create a comfortable interior environment
Exterior plasters were chosen with respect to the material composition of the envelopes, such as lime-cement plaster (LC), renovation plaster for historical masonry (RPHM), or lime-pozzolan plaster that was specially developed for the advanced hollow bricks (LPC)
Each building envelope was investigated in two different orientations—north and south—in order to include the effect of solar radiation and wind direction in each location
Summary
A fundamental objective of building enclosures is to protect occupants from weather effects. According to an EU report [1], 25.4% of total energy is consumed by residential houses and 70% of that amount is represented by heating energy [2] This means that significant energy savings can be achieved by improving the effectiveness of heating systems or thermal insulating capabilities of building envelopes, which are required by national thermal standards. Some other advanced techniques were applied, for example, for the analysis of the effect of wind velocity on quantification of heat losses through building envelope thermal bridges [21], the estimation of overall heat loss coefficient [22], convective heat transfer coefficient of exterior surface of building walls [23], or the prediction of residential heating demands [24]. The application of the method is presented for nine common wall systems, but it can be extended to any other type of building wall
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