Thermal Mass Floor Concrete

Flooring choices for use over concrete slabs using thermal mass what finish flooring materials are best to use over a concrete floor slab to retain the thermal mass properties of the slab.

Thermal mass floor concrete.

The money used for a carpet could for example instead be spent on polishing an exposed concrete floor. A large concrete slab floor can moderate temperatures in the rest of the building. Thermal mass is a concept in building design that describes how the mass of the building provides inertia against internal temperature fluctuations. This yields 0 2 times 13 300 equals 2 660 btus to raise the temperature of the entire wall just 1 degree fahrenheit.

With increasing energy costs and concern over co2 emissions concrete s ability to provide passive cooling is being widely applied in both new and refurbished buildings. Questions answers about how to choose a finish floor to be installed over a. Building thermal mass into your new home or renovation doesn t have to increase costs. Concrete has a relatively high thermal mass meaning that it takes a long time to respond to changes in ambient temperature.

Have a dark colour or a textured or matt finish. Whatever the building type the use of thermal mass requires a basic working knowledge of its function and how best to use it. Be exposed or be covered with a high density material such as tile or slate. Flooring materials for passive solar floor slab designs where direct solar gain and passive solar heat storage are desired.

When the thermal mass of the concrete is heated the warm slab acts as a radiator distributing even heat throughout the structure. Be 100 200 mm thick. Probably the simplest form of thermal mass is a concrete slab floor. The second consideration is the high thermal mass of concrete slabs which applies similarly to walls and floors or wherever concrete is used within the thermal envelope.

Thermal mass is ideally placed within a building where it is shielded from direct solar gain but exposed to the building occupants. Multiply the mass by the specific heat capacity of concrete 0 2 btu lb degree f. Thermal mass for limiting summertime overheating. It is therefore most commonly associated with solid concrete floor slabs in naturally ventilated or low energy mechanically ventilated buildings where the concrete soffit is left exposed to the occupied space.

Floor requirements to provide thermal mass for heating a concrete slab floor provides excellent thermal mass.