Impact of thermal mass for future energy consumption: case study in adobe house

Abstract

This paper examines thermal mass quality of building envelope as passive preventive phenomena for future energy consumption. It questions how much and what type of thermal mass is required for decreasing energy consumption according to future climate change. Summer energy performance of adobe house in Konya, Turkey is studied in terms of thermal mass characteristic by using dynamic simulation software. Measured and predicted microclimate data for 2017 and 2050s are used to compare passive impact of wall material choices, i.e. adobe, limestone, vertical hollow brick and volume of wall without night-time ventilation. In conclusion, the study reveals that thermal mass with lower density and thinner materials show higher energy performance for summers. Energy consumption is minimum with vertical hollow brick wall in 50 cm for 2017 and 30 cm for 2050s. It is deduced that thermal conductivity will still have higher impact than thermal mass on energy consumption.