2ART201 Building science I

Climatology basics - 1
Heat transfer
Thermal Comfort
Thermal conductivity
Thermal Envelope
Climatic Zones
- Saurabh Ojha
Sensible heat is the heat that causes an object to change
temperature. When an object is heated the increase in heat is
called the 'sensible heat'. Latent heat is the heat the heat
added to an object in order for it to change state.

SENSIBLE HEAT : It is the dry heat in the air, related to dry-

bulb temperature.

LATENT HEAT: It is the wet heat released into the air as water
changes from liquid to vapour by evaporation and boiling.
The process is reversible as latent heat is released when
moisture is condensed out of the air.

TOTAL HEAT: Sum of sensible heat and latent heat (Enthalpy). Figure: Variation of latent heat and sensible
heat, (Source: Research gate).
UNITS: Btu/Lb of air. British thermal unit
Thermal Comfort: It is a subjective state of satisfaction that
varies with the individual and a number of circumstantial
factor. ASHARE (1989), has defined it as “that condition of
mind in which satisfaction is expressed with the thermal
environment”.
ASHARE - (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers)
ISHARE - Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers, was founded in 1981 at New Delhi by
a group of eminent HVAC&R professionals.

Comfort zone: As defined by ASHARE, The comfort zone is

considered to be sufficiently comfortable if at least 80% of its
occupants can be expected to not object to the ambient
condition. Figure: Winter and summer comfort zone,
ASHRAE Standard 55-2017, Thermal Environmental winter clo value: 0.9 and summer clo value:
Conditions for Human Occupancy, temperature could range 0.5, (Source: ASHARE, 1981).
from between approximately 22°C – 27°C and relative Clo value: clothing value
humidity of 40%–60%.
Thermal conductivity (K): The heat transfer by conduction
through a substance of a unit thickness in a unit time when a
given temperature difference as applied to a unit area.
Units: (Btu*In) / (Sqft*Hr*degree F). Thickness

Thermal conductance (C) : The heat transfer by conduction

through a substance of a particular thickness per unit of time
Figure: Variation of latent heat and sensible
when a given temperature difference as applied to a unit
heat, (Source: Arch-Daily).
area.
Example: If we divide 1 sqm of our envelope by the temperature
Units: (Btu) / (Sqft*Hr*degree F). difference between its faces, we will obtain a value that
corresponds to the thermal transmittance, also called U-Value.
This value tells us a building's level of thermal insulation in
Thermal resistance (R) : The reciprocal of thermal relation to the percentage of energy that passes through it.
conductance. Units: (Sqft*Hr*degree F) s/ (Btu) or (m²·K/W). If the resulting number is low we will have a well-isolated
surface and, on the contrary, a high number alerts us of a
thermally deficient surface.
Thermal transmittance (U) : The unit measure of heat
transferred through a building assembly per unit of time per
unit of area. Units: (Btu) / (Sqft*Hr*degree F) or (W/m²·K).
The Thermal Transmittance is inversely proportional to the
Thermal Resistance: the greater the resistance of the
materials that make up an envelope, the lower the amount
of heat that is lost through it. U = 1/R
Thermal Envelope
The thermal envelope is defined as the "skin" of the building,
which protects the thermal and acoustic comfort of its
interiors. This is made up of its opaque walls (walls, floors,
ceilings), its operable elements (doors and windows), and its
thermal bridges, which are all those points that allow heat to
pass more easily (points with geometric variations or changes
of materials).
The general formula for calculating the U-Value is:
Figure: Total Thermal Resistance of the element
U = 1/Rtotal composed of layers (m²·K/W), Source: https://www.tec
Where:
•U = Thermal Transmittance (W/m²·K)*
science.com
•Rt = Total Thermal Resistance of the element composed of layers (m²·K/W), obtained
according to:
Rt = Rsi + R1 + R2 + R3 + ... + Rn + Rse
Where:
•Rsi = Interior Surface Thermal Resistance
•Rse = Exterior Surface Thermal Resistance
•R1, R2, R3, Rn = Thermal Resistance of each layer, which is obtained according to: R = D / λ
Where:
•D = Material Thickness (m)
•λ = Thermal Conductivity of the Material (W/K·m)
Compatibility with Climatic Zones
When obtaining our U-Value, we must compare it with the value of the maximum
(or limit) thermal transmittance specified for the climatic zone in which our project
is located, in winter and summer. This number has been determined by official
local regulations such as (ECBC).

Figure: India map showing climatic

classification, Source: Energy
Conservation Building Code (ECBC),
Ministry of Power, Government of
India in 2007.
Thank you