The role of thermal mass on the cooling load of buildings. An overview of computational methods

Thermal mass can reduce peak cooling loads and indoor air temperature swings in buildings. The factors affecting the performance of thermal mass are reviewed and classified. Experimental studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of thermal mass as an energy conservation alternative and in providin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy and buildings 1996, Vol.24 (1), p.1-10
Main Author: Balaras, C.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buildings
Computational methods
Cooling load
Energy conservation
Mathematical models
Q1
Thermal mass
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Summary:Thermal mass can reduce peak cooling loads and indoor air temperature swings in buildings. The factors affecting the performance of thermal mass are reviewed and classified. Experimental studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of thermal mass as an energy conservation alternative and in providing more comfortable indoor conditions, are also reviewed. A number of simplified design tools for calculating the cooling load and indoor air temperatures of a building, which also account for thermal mass effects, have been identified and are classified. The models are categorized in terms of their inputs, outputs and restrictions on their level of accuracy in treating thermal mass effects, type of loads or other design limitations.
ISSN:0378-7788
DOI:10.1016/0378-7788(95)00956-6