Case
Summer heat.
How to fight summer overheating:
Thermal insulation is the most effective protection against summer overheating. We can see it from the results collected during extremely hot summer in 2015, when the air temperature reached up to 36 °C.
Insulated houses showed up to 5 °C lower temperature inside in comparison with non-insulated house (No.3).
Specifically, non-insulated houses recorded interior temperature more than 30 °C. Interior temperature in brick or concrete houses with insulation reached 26 °C on average, which is a value within the comfort zone.
Moreover, the south-facing windows were not protected by blinds.
House No. 1
Wall material
Concrete
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
475
Insulation
Resolution XS 022
Insulation thickness
14 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
24 °C
House No. 2
Wall material
Concrete
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
475
Insulation
Insulation thickness
20 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
25 °C
House No. 3
Wall material
25 cm brick
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
245
Insulation
-
Insulation thickness
-
Rise of temperature in houses
30 °C
House No. 4
Wall material
25 cm brick
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
245
Insulation
Insulation thickness
18 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
27 °C
House No. 6
Wall material
Wooden frame construction
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
60
Insulation
Insulation thickness
6 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
29 °C
House No. 7
Wall material
Wooden frame construction
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
60
Insulation
Insulation thickness
6 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
29 °C
House No. 9
Wall material
50 cm brick filled with mineral wool
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
347
Insulation
-
Insulation thickness
-
Rise of temperature in houses
28 °C
House No. 10
Wall material
Massive wood
Mass of wall material (kg/m2)
155
Insulation
Pavatex wood fibre
Insulation thickness
20 cm
Rise of temperature in houses
28 °C
Wall construction as heat storage:
Besides thermal insulation, the key factor of heat accumulation is the wall construction material. The measurement approved that massive heavy walls accumulated sun heat during the day and radiated it during colder evening and night hours. This effect ensures a more stable interior temperature.
Specifically during the summer it keeps the temperature inside lower and more comfortable. The "lighter" the wall construction is, the higher the temperature is inside during hot summers - despite that the U-parameter (heat transfer coefficient) and the insulation efficiency are the same.
The massive insulated construction stays cool much longer during hot summers because they can store more energy.
