Exploring building component thermal storage performance for optimizing indoor thermal environment – A case study in Beijing

Abstract

Optimizing the thermal storage of building components is crucial for improving indoor thermal conditions and reducing heating energy consumption. However, existing studies often overlook the effect of the substantial thermal mass in common building components, each storing different levels of heat. This study finds that considering this thermal mass and its energy during the building design phase can significantly save insulation material costs and heating energy consumption.Our work is built upon the analysis of the thermal behaviors of real buildings. We collected data from 43 representative rooms in cold regions and utilized Multiple Linear Regression models to examine how solar radiation and outdoor temperatures affect thermal mass in external walls, internal walls, and floors. We also used Probabilistic Density Distribution models to study heat transfer within these components. Subsequently, we applied Conduction Transfer Functions with just a 2.08% error rate to derive an optimal passive design strategy for year-round use of building thermal mass.Experimental results show that our strategy saves more energy by 0.78 kWh/m2 without increasing the insulation material cost, exceeding current standards. In cold regions, our study suggests focusing on mitigating the negative effects of building thermal mass, which offers greater energy savings than exploiting its positive aspects. Moreover, our findings can be easily integrated into the optimization of physical properties like thermal capacity and insulation for either improving stock buildings or designing new buildings, further enhancing their energy and material efficiency.