Physics- Cooling of Buildings

• Factors that affect the cooling of a building

  • Thermal conductivity of the walls
  • Thickness of the walls
• Thermal conductivity


  The rate of energy transfer by conduction across a material
• Modern houses are built with an external brick wall and an internal Breeze block wall with a cavity in between
• The thermal conductivity of walls built like this is fairly high, allowing a lot of thermal energy to transfer out of the house
• Insulating material


  Has a very low thermal conductivity, reducing the overall thermal conductivity of the wall by up to 10 times
• Single glazed windows have a high thermal conductivity, allowing a lot of thermal energy to pass through
• Double glazed windows have a lower thermal conductivity, reducing the amount of thermal energy that can pass through
• Loft insulation also has a low thermal conductivity, reducing the rate at which thermal energy passes through the roof
• Constructing a building using materials with low thermal conductivity and thick walls can reduce the rate of thermal energy transfer from the building