The room is your resting area where you cannot afford high temperatures in summers. ACs are not a healthy choice, especially for asthmatic patients. So, you need a healthy option that will absorb and reflect heat to maintain the internal temperature of the house. This blog discusses which heat absorbing material for room is better, and how it helps keep the room colder.
Thermal Mass – Brief Introduction
Thermal mass is a commonly used heat absorbing material for room and is a very heavy and dense material. In the room walls and floors, thermal mass can be used. Commonly used materials for thermal mass are concrete, stone, and others. If a room’s exterior is properly insulated, it is possible to maintain cold temperatures inside the room.
In the daytime, the heat is absorbed by the thermal mass and is emitted in the evening when the temperature drops. Mainly, it decreases the internal temperature in midday hours and in the early afternoon time, while it increases the temperature in the late afternoon and early evening hours. This is why, thermal mass is always recommended as an ideal heat absorbing material for room.
You can easily build thermal mass into your house, or while renovating a home. The cost of building thermal mass should not be added to the overall budget. You can better replace the cost of buying a carpet by polishing an exposed concrete floor.
Materials for Thermal mass
A concrete slab floor is an ideal choice when anyone intends to install thermal mass. Moreover, some may prefer concrete blocks, bricks, and stone. Heat absorbing material for room helps keep room temperature colder. Following are the characteristics that are ideal requirements to mark the material as effective heat absorbing and storing material.
- A good material is dense and heavy materials are good at absorbing and storing enough heat.
- It is a better heat conductor.
- It may have a dark surface or a textured surface. In some cases, both types of surfaces exist.
As there are multiple options to try for thermal mass, so depending on the material you choose, the heat absorbing mechanism differs. It implies that some are fast at absorbing heat while others take longer (or less time) to do so before radiating it back out again.
Take an example of a brick wall. It has an increased thermal mass than cavity walls and so it absorbs more heat compared to a timber framed wall of the same thickness. When sunlight hits the room interior, heat absorbing material for the room will absorb the heat and keep the room cooler.
Depending on the material thermal masses are made of, and their thickness, they can hold a certain amount of heat. Some materials have high heat capacity, but low thermal conductivity. Others will absorb little amounts of heat and get fairly warm. Such materials fall in the category ‘former’.
This implies that a concrete slab floor, for instance, will be able to absorb and retain much heat and release it gradually. So, it is an effective heat absorbing material for the room. The heat absorbed by a different material, like a wooden floor, is released fast since it has a low capacity to absorb and store more heat. Consequently, a large fraction of the sunlight’s energy will dissipate into the air around you rather fast, raising the temperature of the room at the hottest times of the day.
Understanding how thermal mass works
How about comparing thermal mass with a sponge? When you add water to a sponge surface, most of it is absorbed. If the material has low thermal mass characteristics, it will appear as a plain surface, and water touching it will bounce back and dissipate in the air.
During winters, quality thermal mass surfaces absorb thermal heat in the daytime. So, the air temperature drops down, and absorbed heat travels to the cooler air and other room surfaces. While, during summers, to keep a cold environment on the hottest days and nights, the thermal mass installed inside the buildings must be shaded from direct sunshine throughout the day. Moreover, it should be open to cool winds. In this way, heat absorbing material for room will be able to perform better.
Insulation, coating, and thermal mass interact in a complicated manner that changes with the climate and seasons. As a result, it’s crucial to get advice on the optimal course of action from a specialist in solar design, such as a designer, architect, or building scientist. Ask them about materials that reflect heat, or material that stays cool in heat.
Take Away!
Heat absorbing material for room like thermal mass is an ideal option that is extensively applied in Asian countries. A concrete slab floor is the best application of thermal mass and is not a costly decision.
