Abstract

Thermal resistance of wall constructions plays a key role in determining the cooling load of buildings especially in regions with extreme ambient temperatures. With the construction industry having several options for wall material, selection of the best alternative is mainly based upon their thermal resistance. Experimental data presently available on wall resistances are based on steady state measurements
which are not real indicators of their performance. Onsite real time thermal performance data under summer conditions of four commonly used wall constructions in Saudi Arabia have been collected using experimental study in a test room maintained under similar conditions for all the wall. The time lag, decrement factor and their relative thermal resistance values indicate that Insulated brick walls and Adobe walls are the most suited candidates in terms of thermal performance for decreasing the cooling load. This study will help construction engineers to select the appropriate building wall material and also to estimate the air conditioning system capacity.

Key words: Building walls, insulating bricks, wall thermal resistance, Energy efficient walls, decrement factor, Building envelope;