A numerical analysis for energy savings of different oriented and insulated walls in the cold climate of Turkey – Simulation-based study

Most of the energy expended in buildings is used for heating. Heating insulation of walls has been gaining much more interest in recent years not only because of the hazardous effects energy consumption on the environment, but also the high costs of energy sources. Therefore, the relationship between insulation thickness and orientation was investigated in this paper for in Elazığ (38.4°N), one of the cold regions in Turkey. One dimensional transient heat transfer problem of the walls with and without insulation was solved by using the explicit finite difference method. In the illustration model, hourly values of heat losses of mass and walls were calculated. The annual energy cost was calculated for walls. It was observed that energy consumption will decrease by 19–78%, depending on the insulation thickness. Payback periods based on insulation cost are 1.69–2.89 years.

► Non-isolated and isolated (2.5, 5, 10, and 15 cm) five different walls types are considered.
► 29 different scenarios are assumed for a mass formed with outer walls.
► The heat loss of each wall was calculated according to the orientation.
► Fuel, insulation, and the total costs were calculated for 29 different scenarios.
► Payback periods were calculated according to the total costs.