- Author
- Burch, D. M. | Walton, G. N. | Licitra, B. A. | Cavanaugh, K. | Klein, M. D.
- Title
- Effect of Wall Mass on the Peak Sensible Heating and Cooling Loads of a Single-Family Residence.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA
- Report
- NBSIR 86-3458, October 1986, 32 p.
- Keywords
- heating load; cooling load; houses; energy conservation; thermal insulation; architecture; walls; temperature control; heat transfer | thermal analysis
- Identifiers
- thermal mass
- Abstract
- The effect of wall mass on the peak sensible heating and cooling loads of a single-family residence was investigated using a sophisticated computer program called the Thermal Analysis Research Program (TARP). The computer simulation accuracy was verified by comparing its predicted sensible heating and cooling loads to measured values for six test buildings each having different wall constructions at the National Bureau of Standards. Good agreement was obtained for the load comparisons. The computer program subsequently was used to simulate the performance of identical houses each having the following three insulated wall constructions: wood frame, conventional masonry (outside wall mass), and innovative masonry (inside wall mass). When the house was operated with fixed thermostat settings, the effect of wall mass on the peak sensible heating and cooling loads was found to be less than 11% for the climatic regions analyzed. Operating the typical house with a 10 deg F (5.6 deg C) night temperature setback during an 8-hour night period caused the daily peak sensible heating loads to be approximately twice those without setback.