Wall Insulation Effect on Building Energy Efficiency with the Intermittent and Compartmental Energy Consuming Method

Abstract

Based on the intermittent and compartmental energy consuming method of residential buildings in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone, a two-dimensional heat transfer model of one household flat is built for a transient study of the wall insulation effect on building energy efficiency. With the mode of compartmental energy consuming, the energy consumption of interior walls accounts for nearly 45% of the total amount, thus insulation for interior walls should be taken into more consideration as well as for exterior walls. With the intermittent energy consuming mode, exterior wall external insulation can decrease air-conditioner heating load. However, when cooling in summer nights, the temperature of wall is higher than both indoor and outdoor. External insulation hinders heat in walls from dissipating to outside, and thus there is an “anti-insulation” effect existing here. Interior insulation can effectively decrease both heating and cooling loads of air-conditioner.