Energy consumption comparison at various insulation scenarios: Mid-rise residential buildings, Kabul city

Abstract

An insulating substance is typically used to reduce the amount of heat that enters buildings with air conditioning from the outside. The heat conductivity of this substance is extremely low. In this scenario, having a cost-effective air conditioning system requires using an appropriate insulation material with the right thickness. Up until a certain point, when the material thickness is optimal and will give the maximum overall energy savings, given that the building industry accounts for roughly 40% of worldwide energy consumption and is the greatest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, it is well known that it has a substantial negative influence on the environment too. Therefore, Insulating the outer walls of the building is a recognized method to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the current setting of ongoing global energy price increases and concern to support global efforts to recover the climate. This study was conducted on a residential building in Kabul city capital of Afghanistan, to study and analyse the insulation materials used to seal the building envelope to calculate how much energy can be saved. Version 4.9 of the HAP program was used to calculate the energy consumption and heating/cooling loads. According to the obtained results, adding insulation to the envelope’s various elements (walls, roofs, windows, etc.) can improve thermal comfort indoors and cut the energy use of the structures under study by between 30 to 40 percent. Especially the amount of heat losses in winter decrease with proper insulation, but due to the low-temperature difference in the summertime, the insulation effect is negligible.

Keywords

• energy savings
• building insulation
• sustainability
• heating and cooling loads