Variation of Time Lag, Decrement Factor and Inside Surface Temperature with Solar Optical Properties of Building Envelope in Different Climatic Zones of India

Abstract

Maintenance of thermal comfort inside buildings requires a significant amount of energy. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, the energy spent on achieving thermal comfort in commercial buildings and in residential buildings are 31% and 7%, respectively. Considering the energy crisis that world has been suffering; every individual should try to save energy by some means. The increase in urbanization over the last few years gave rise to boom in constructions. Choosing the materials used for the construction of buildings wisely can contribute towards energy saving. The solar optical properties of building envelope affect the surface temperature up to a great extent which in turn affects the energy used for thermal comfort. In this paper, the effect of solar optical properties on time lag decrement factor and inside surface temperature is studied in different Indian climatic zones. © 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.