Integrating solar radiation, building mass, thermal insulation, and air ventilation for energy conservation in buildings.

This research investigates the effect of integrating solar radiation, internal building mass, thermal insulation and natural ventilation on building thermal performance. A field study and a computer simulation were conducted on the Beliveau house located in Blacksburg- Virginia. The house designer implemented several new ideas for integrating solar radiation, thermal mass, thermal insulation, and air ventilation to conserve energy. The goal of this study is to investigate the relationships between these design variables. The field study was used to monitor the actual performance of the house. The house was first simulated using the BEANS software. The simulation results were validated with the field readings. Second a matrix of alternative solutions with different building masses, solar radiation gains, and thermal insulation factors were simulated by BEANS software to test their energy performance. Statistical relations have been derived between the energy consumption (as the dependent variable) and the solar radiation, thermal insulation, and building mass (as independent variables). The results showed that the direct controlled solar radiation which is admitted to the space factored 31 % of the energy load in the house, while the thermal insulation and the internal building mass factored 48%, and 21 % of the energy load of the house respectively. The derived factors are hoped to give the designers useful guidelines to weight these design alternatives.