A thermal evaluation of the ISOBLOCK material in the warm, dry climate of ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Abstract

In order for dwellings to improve their thermal behavior and reduce energy consumption due to the excessive use of conventional air heating and cooling systems, the Mexican Energy Efficiency Standards establish a minimum thermal resistance factor ("R") according to each climatic region of the country. This article presents the conclusions of thermal research on the material known as Isoblock, which: consists of a concrete block with insulation inside and satisfactorily meets the "R" factor required by the regulations. The study seeks to demonstrate the necessity of taking the thermal mass of materials into consideration within the thermal parameters in the aforementioned regulations. From that approach, the methodology consisted in comparing the Isoblock with a conventional concrete block in two modules with the same characteristics during the extreme seasons in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Lastly, a simulation was carried out using Design Builder V4.5 software and the results were correlated for validation. With these results, the Isoblock module was simulated with a greater amount of thermal mass without varying its thickness, to measure its impact on the interior temperature. The results obtained demonstrate that a material with the same "R" factor can produce more comfortable indoor air temperatures in extreme seasons.