Abstract
Insulating interior side of external wall and finishing by cement plaster is one of the most appropriate methods of reducing annual energy consumption in available buildings. The aim of this study is to determine the optimum expanded polystyrene (EPS) and cement plaster thickness for bungalow building in Malaysia. The present study evaluates the effect of different thermal insulation and interior cement plaster thicknesses on the annual cooling energy consumption. Furthermore, the optimum thickness of EPS and plaster is estimated based on wall type and building orientation. Two different types of walls made of concrete and brick are considered. EPS and plaster were used in the range of 20 to 100 mm and 0 to 20mm, respectively. The results show that both thermal insulation and plaster thickness have a direct effect on annual cooling energy consumption, however, the influence of wall thermal insulation thickness is more significant than cement plaster thickness. Further, the optimum EPS thickness decreases with the increment in cement plaster thickness for different orientations and wall types. The optimum EPS thickness ranges from 31.5 mm to 53.1 mm based on wall type, orientation and cement plaster thickness. Utilizing optimum EPS and cement plaster thicknesses can thus reduce annual energy consumption by about 6 to 12% in different directions.
Highlights
Total end-user energy consumption is linked to the transportation, industrial, residential, commercial and other sectors with contributions of 30%, 29%, 27%, 9% and 5%, respectively (Parameshwaran et al, 2012)
The results obtained from eQUEST were inserted into the Design-Expert software to carry out the statistical analysis and optimization based on response surface methodology (RSM)
Analysis of variance (ANOVA), a reliable way to analyze fitted model quality, makes a comparison between the deviation caused by the treatment and variation caused by random errors
Summary
Total end-user energy consumption is linked to the transportation, industrial, residential, commercial and other sectors with contributions of 30%, 29%, 27%, 9% and 5%, respectively (Parameshwaran et al, 2012). One-third of the total energy consumption and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to buildings in most countries Zhang et al, 2004). Finding new means of saving energy in the building sector is essential due to the limited natural energy sources and rise in population (Shafigh et al, 2018). Fabric and ventilation heat transfer are two reasons for heat loss in buildings. Fabric heat loss is related to conduction heat transfer through walls, roofs, windows and floors
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