Fayez Aldawi

Residential Building Wall Systems: Energy Efficiency and Carbon Footprint

Rapid urbanization due to global economic development and population growth necessitates the expansion of cities and towns with new buildings and associated energy requirements. The floor space area and volumetric dimensions of modern residential houses are increasing at a constant rate in most developed countries including Australia. Therefore, the energy consumption for ongoing heating and cooling is also increasing. A substantial amount of energy required for heating and cooling is lost through house wall systems. Despite the importance of house wall systems for energy efficiency, little research has been undertaken on energy-efficient house wall systems made of combined thermal masses and insulation materials that can be used and adapted for variable climate conditions with minimal design changes and cost. Hence, this book chapter reports the thermal performance of two house wall systems (one conventional and the other a new design) with single- and double-glazed windows for variable climate conditions in order to develop an optimal energy-efficient house wall system with minimal material modification and cost.Rapid urbanization due to global economic development and population growth necessitates the expansion of cities and towns with new buildings and associated energy requirements. The floor space area and volumetric dimensions of modern residential houses are increasing at a constant rate in most developed countries including Australia. Therefore, the energy consumption for ongoing heating and cooling is also increasing. A substantial amount of energy required for heating and cooling is lost through house wall systems. Despite the importance of house wall systems for energy efficiency, little research has been undertaken on energy-efficient house wall systems made of combined thermal masses and insulation materials that can be used and adapted for variable climate conditions with minimal design changes and cost. Hence, this book chapter reports the thermal performance of two house wall systems (one conventional and the other a new design) with single- and double-glazed windows for variable climate conditions in order to develop an optimal energy-efficient house wall system with minimal material modification and cost.