A field study on building inertia and its effects on indoor thermal environment

Energy consumption in Spanish school buildings is higher during spring seasons. Thermal inertia of buildings can help to reduce such consumption, improve comfort, and even replace HVAC systems. This thermal inertia is usually associated to heavy wall construction, but the truth is there are other parameters that can have a significant effect on this property. This paper describes a field case study of school buildings with different types of wall construction, aimed at demonstrating real thermal inertia effects on indoor conditions. Besides air temperature measurements, HAM tools were used to simulate indoor air conditions. Results showed a good agreement between simulated and experimental air temperature results, and that other building construction parameters, such as the use of permeable coverings, may have a large impact on indoor thermal conditions and energy consumption.

► A new method to study the effect of internal coverings on thermal inertia.
► Internal gains can have a greater impact in thermal inertia than walls.
► A reduction in air change rate makes indoor ambience more insensitive to weather.
► Permeable coverings improve thermal inertia and energy saving.