Thermal mass is the ability of the substance to absorb and retain heat and release heat when needed. Thermal mass, when properly designed, provides an effective solution to reduce the heating and cooling loads in buildings and results in cost savings for consumers. However if thermal mass is not properly designed, it can lead to negative consequences such as overheating and discomfort for occupants. This study focuses on the thermal mass, its design and the thermal properties that should be used in buildings.

Energy modelling is the process of building computer models using certain software’s and then simulating them to check how the model behaves in terms of energy consumption. This process involves assigning all the components of the house, the HVAC, etc., and then simulating it with the weather conditions of the area in which the building is to be constructed. This enables researchers to know what kind of material combinations are working and what properties of materials lead to energy savings before constructing a building on site. This is a common process prior to the construction of buildings around the world. The current study involves the use of Energy Plus software to investigate potential energy savings when thermal mass (concrete) strategies are used in low-rise residential buildings in British Columbia.

In the current study, a low rise building that represents a typical low rise building in British Columbia has been modelled. Then some of the components in the baseline model were replaced with the thermal mass strategies, which included replacing wooden floor with concrete floor, replacing interior drywall of external wall with concrete wall, modifying the U- value of windows, and providing shadings. Replacing the components of building with thermal mass strategies led to a decrease in heating and cooling load by 11.3% and 15.7% annually. Furthermore, thermal mass strategies resulted in an annual reduction in electric consumption by approximately 880 Kwh, resulting in a savings of approximately 98 dollars per year.