Marche Polytechnic University

Department of Architecture, Construction and Structures

Technical Architecture Section

Strategies for Sustainable Building Envelopes: Ventilation and Inertial Mass

10 February 2009

The Effectiveness of a
Good Thermal Inertia
of Building Walls

Ing. Andrea Ursini Casalena

http://www.mygreenbuildings.org
 Kyoto Protocol - 2005

To reduce at least 5% of the global CO2

emissions between 2008-2012
obligation to save energy

DIRECTIVE 2002/91/CE
on the energy performance European Union
of buildings

importance of the climatic

characteristics of the site
reduce Air conditioning
Comfort problems

priority of Passive Cooling Systems

 Italy

Dlgs. 311/2006

It receives only a share of the Directive 2002/91/CE

winter summer

introduction of high superficial approach to the

requirements on:
thermal insulation of buildings
(U = transmittance W/m2K)
and the needs of energy for
winter heating
(Epi =kWh/m2year)
problem of summer comfort
and thermal inertia of
building envelope
It does not consider the
effects of internal heat loads
(people, diffuse radiation,
appliances…)

WINTER ENERGY SAVING but…

 replace Ms limit >= 230 kg/m2
national guidelines
SUMMER

with the:

Periodic Thermal Transmittance

Yie = U x fd <= 0,12 W/m2K
UNI EN ISO 13786:2008

PROBLEM:
internal heat loads
Yie

Direct radiation
?
Air temperature
 Problem of periodic thermal transmittance

Possibility of super insulated and

Yie = U x fd
low mass building walls

Yie <= 0,12 W/m2K

Yie U fd Yie U fd
0,12 = 1 x 0,12 0,12 = 0,12 x 1

ACCORDING
TO
GUIDELINES

High mass = Low mass

 Importance of indoor thermal comfort and internal loads in summer

Results of our studies:

1) Periodic Thermal Trasmittance is effective in limiting the external

loads
2) Periodic Thermal Trasmittance doesn’t ensure indoor thermal comfort
with the internal thermal loads

opportunity: Consider the Internal Periodical Heat Capacity (Cip) kJ/m2K

Diffuse radiation

Internal loads
 Taking a REAL CASE STUDY SCHOOL
1) MONITORING weather Surface
conditions Indoor temperature
conditions

2) SIMULATION AND CALIBRATION OF THE ANALYTICAL MODEL WITH THE

MONITORING DATA

3) PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR: - weather conditions (Palermo, Ancona, Cuneo)

- destinazione d’uso (scuola, residenza)
- internal thermal loads
- building enevelope
 Different Typologies studied walls:
5 ideal walls in order to respect periodic and stationary thermal trasmittance
limits
U < 0,4 W/m2K (Ancona) Yie < 0,12 W/m2K

for instance:

For the same value of Yie = 0,10 W/m2K, we have difference

thicknesses of inertial mass and thermal insulation
 RESULTS: limiting the periodic thermal trasmittance allows to:
- bound the external loads
- contain summer and winter energy use
Winter period
- U strongly conditions the thermal behavior of external walls
- External walls characterized by low stationary transmittance have
superior behaviour
Settimana 18-24 Gennaio
25
N
24

U=0,13
23
U=0,15
Temperatura superficiale interna [°C]

22 U=0,17
21 U=0,26
U=0,39
20
W/m2K
19

18

17

16

15

14
01/18 00:10:00 01/19 00:10:00 01/20 00:10:00 01/21 00:10:00 01/22 00:10:00 01/23 00:10:00 01/24 00:10:00

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5
 Summer period (without internal loads, ideal conditions)

For the same value of Yie there is no difference between the 5 typologies of
the wall

Ancona - Settimana 18-24 Giugno - Y12 = 0,10 Senza carichi

30

29
Temperatura superficiale interna sud [°C]

N 28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20
06/18 06/18 06/19 06/19 06/20 06/20 06/21 06/21 06/22 06/22 06/23 06/23 06/24 06/24
00:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:00

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Temperatura aria esterna

 If we consider the impact of:
-COMFORT (Surface temp., Operative temp., radiant asymmetry)
-INTERNAL LOADS (people, appliances, diffuse radiation)

It is need to Internal Thermal Inertia

Summer period (with internal loads, real conditions, school)
Low value of thermal inertia = temperature with raised swings = low comfort
Ancona - Settimana 18-24 Giugno - Y12 = 0,10
30

29
N
Temperatura superficiale interna sud [°C]

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20
06/18 06/18 06/19 06/19 06/20 06/20 06/21 06/21 06/22 06/22 06/23 06/23 06/24 06/24
00:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:0000:10:0012:10:00

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Temperatura aria esterna

Roof impact on comfort Temperatura operativa piano sottotetto - 18-24 giugno - Scuola

32

30

28

°C
26

24

22

20
06/18 06/18 06/19 06/20 06/21 06/22 06/23 06/24
00:10:00 23:30:00 22:50:00 22:10:00 21:30:00 20:50:00 20:10:00 19:30:00

T1 T2

Temperatura superficiale interna copertura - 18-24 giugno - Scuola

32

30

Enviromental internal conditions 28

are affected by their thermal 26

°C

insulation position
24

22

20
06/18 06/18 06/19 06/20 06/21 06/22 06/23 06/24
00:10:00 23:30:00 22:50:00 22:10:00 21:30:00 20:50:00 20:10:00 19:30:00

T1 T2
Internal periodical heat capacity (Cip):
The value Cip, calculated according to UNI EN ISO 13786:2008, describes
the building envelope behavior. It considers the deep of penetration of
thermal wave
- Cip is the real wall capability to store the heat
- A Big value of Cip helps in reducing the superficial walls temperatures

|Y12| = 0,10

0.8000 160.00
Trasmittanza termica stazionaria/fattore di

Capacità termica areica interna periodica

0.7000 140.00

0.6000 120.00

0.5000 100.00
attenuazione

0.4000 80.00

0.3000 60.00

0.2000 40.00

0.1000 20.00

0.0000 0.00
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5

Trasmittanza termica stazionaria Fattore di attenuazione

Capacità termica areica interna periodica
 Internal periodical heat capacity (Cip):
To obtain an optimal level of comfort, the walls have to guarantee a big value of Cip
During the summer, if we have elevated values of internal loads, it
will be to more importante to fix a big value of the Cip
Temperatura superficiale media giornaliera - Minime, medie e massime per scuola e
residenza - 23 Giugno

30.0
Temperatura superficiale parete sud [°C]

29.0

28.0

R2 = 0.89
R2 = 0.94

27.0

26.0
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00 180.00
Capacità termica areica interna periodica [KJ/m2K]
Media residenza Min residenza Max residenza Media scuola
Min scuola Max scuola Poli. (Max residenza) Poli. (Media residenza)
Poli. (Min residenza) Poli. (Media scuola) Poli. (Max scuola) Poli. (Min scuola)
We believe it is suitable to fix an inferior limit value of Cip
in order to:
-Support walls with sufficient inertial mass by internal side
=> they contribute in the thermal store and in improving the indoor comfort
-thwart building envelopes characterized by internal insulation or
without inertial mass
=> they do not contribute in the thermal store
250
Capacità termica areica interna periodica [KJ/m2K]

200

150

100

50

0
0,05 0,10 0,15 0,20 0,25 0,30 0,35 0,40 0,45 0,50 0,55 0,60
Spessore [m]

Blocco cls Einstein Mattoni pieni Gasbeton

Poroton Blocco arg esp
 Diffuse radiation
Yie

Direct radiation

Air
temperature

excellent indication of the

goodness of the wall
Cip
Control of comfort and
consumption in the summer
and half seasons
This could be the parameter verification to be attached to the
periodic thermal transmittance
Thank You for your Care

Ing. Andrea Ursini Casalena

http://www.mygreenbuildings.org

Marche Polytechnic University

http://www.univpm.it