The Sustainable Benefits and Applications of Thermal Mass in Hot-Humid Climates

1. The Sustainable Benefits and Applications of Thermal Mass in Hot-Humid Climates Jesse Madden The University of Texas at Austin Source: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/sites/prod.yourhome.gov.au/files/images/63487.png

2. Thermal Mass: the ability to store energy Different building materials have different thermal mass Concrete, masonry, adobe, and others have high thermal mass Source: http://www.azobuild.com/images/Article_Images/ImageForArticle_8095(3).jpg

3. Thermal Inertia: the process of the use of thermal mass Thermal inertia is the naturally occurring process of heat accumulation and release Used to dampen heating and cooling loads to decrease energy consumption

4. Thermal Inertia delays and reduces peak energy loads Source: http://www.blueridgeicf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/image087.jpg

5. Factors Affecting Thermal Inertia Building orientation, window placement, and thermal mass positioning Source:http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/sites//filedefaults/styles/large/public/core-page-inserted-images/orientation_of_glazing_e_w_-_revised.jpg

6. Traditional and Historic Uses Cold-dry climates because of the large temperature variation throughout a 24-hour period Thermal mass in itself is not a new idea Source: https://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/secc_edu/images/diurnal.jpg

7. New Studies for Hot-Humid Climates Marie Kerbacher and AtilaNovoselac of UT produced a study to determine how thermal mass would perform in a climate like Austin, TX Found that a building with Austin-ideal design elements reduced energy consumption more than an identical building in Phoenix, AZ The best performing buildings took advantage of night ventilation

8. Thermal Mass with Night Ventilation Source: http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/sites/default/files/core-page-files/night_flushing_-_revised.jpg

9. Thermal Mass and Night Ventilation Researcher Edna Shaviv studied buildings with thermal mass and night ventilation in Israel Found that night ventilation could help to reduce indoor air temperature by about 9°F The introduction of fresh air at night purges the released heat from the thermal mass

10. Ethics: the production of cement Concrete is a huge contributor of atmospheric CO2 How ethical is it to use an environmentally harmful material to supposedly increase sustainability? Source: http://us-concrete.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/EF_01.jpg

11. Environmental Impacts of Thermal Mass • Edward Hacker produced a study to quantitatively determine the embodied and operational CO2 of a building using thermal mass • Used a 100 year lifecycle analysis • Compared three buildings with heavy thermal mass to a lightweight building • Defined payback period as the time when the operational CO2 savings outweighed the difference of embodied CO2 to that of the lightweight constant Source:

12. Thermal Mass CO2 Savings Source: Hacker, J. 2008. Embodied and Operational Carbon Dioxide Emission from Housing: A Case Study on the Effects of Thermal Mass and Climate Change. Energy and Buildings, 40 (3), 375-384. Retrieved June 8, 2015, from sciencedirect.com

13. Thermal Inertia is an Important Element of Passive Solar Design There is no universally optimized building design Each project should be individually designed based on location and climate Thermal mass in conjunction with night ventilation and building orientation can produce a greatly sustainable building Source: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/sites/prod.yourhome.gov.au/files/images/63494.png