Abstract
Thermal mass in building construction refers to a building material’s ability to absorb and release heat based on changing environmental conditions. In building design, materials with high thermal mass used in climates with a diurnal temperature swing around the interior set-point temperature have been shown to reduce the annual heating demand. However, few studies exist regarding the effects of thermal mass in cold climates. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of high thermal mass on the annual heat demand and thermal comfort in a typical Alaskan residence using energy modeling software. The model simulations show that increased thermal mass can decrease the risk of summer overheating in Alaskan residences. They also show that increased thermal mass does not significantly decrease the annual heat load in residences located in cold climates. These results indicate that while increased thermal mass does have advantages in all climates, such as a decrease in summer overheating, it is not an effective strategy for decreasing annual heat demand in typical residential buildings in Alaska.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation for their support of this project.
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Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 1 • March 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 13, 2014
Accepted: Oct 30, 2014
Published online: Feb 19, 2015
Discussion open until: Jul 19, 2015
Published in print: Mar 1, 2016
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