Thermal mass placement on upper building floors:

Tthis article discusses placement of thermal mass in the upper floors buildings for both heating and cooling as well as for insulation.

Photo at page top (the La Vereda passive solar condominiums, Santa Fe NM) and accompanying text are reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

Readers should also see THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

How to Place Thermal Mass on Upper Floors in buildings

The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is followed by an expanded/updated online version of this article.

• Q & A: Thermal Mass Upstairs? - PDF form, thermal mass placement advice for upper floors in new construction homes

The question-and-answer article about Thermal Mass Upstairs , quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.

What is the Most Cost Effective Way to Place Thermal Mass in Second Story New Construction?

Question:

What is the most cost-effective way of placing thermal mass in second story new home construction? The McAdams article (Solar Age, 9/93) reported that an upper-story concrete slab with tile costs only $1.50 per square foot more than plywood and carpeting (1980's prices).

Do these floor construction costs include the structural supporting members, concrete forms, concrete delivery, slab preparation, etc?

Also, how does the cost of thermal mass walls compare to the cost of thermal mass floors for upper story construction? -- J.A. Horton, Oak Ridge, TN

Answer:

Wootie McAdams reported in the original Solar Age Q&A on thermal mass for upper building floors that the $1.50 per square foot cost compared the concrete floor slab and locally made concrete tiles to the commercial carpeting and plywood underlayment that would have been used otherwise. Relatively cheap tiles at $2.50 per square foot (1980's prices) versus commercial carpeting at $3.33 per square foot made those economics work.

The minor changes needed in the deck and beam floor due to the added load of the concrete were also considered in the calculation.

Comparison of Thermal Mass Walls to Thermal Mass Floors

As for thermal mass building walls compared with thermal mass floors on upper building levels, the economics depend on what finishes are chosen, and on whether the thermal mass wall is on the building exterior where it needs to be insulated.

Design and marketing considerations may override simple economics. For example, direct gain mass floors should not be carpeted or covered with furniture as the clients may intend.

The page top photograph shows the La Vereda passive solar condominiums developed in the 1980's by Wayne and Susan Nichols in Santa Fe, New Mexico. These passive solar condos use upper-story concrete slabs and tile for thermal mass and consumer appeal.

Diminishing Returns of Thermal Mass

Beyond some point, though, adding more thermal mass won't help performance. Once you put in enough thermal mass to prevent solar overheating, piling a few tons of brick in the living room won't reduce heating bills any further. It can even be a liability if night time thermostat temperature setbacks are planned.

So it becomes the designer's job to decide on the right amount of thermal mass for a building.

Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

Readers should also see the passive solar design articles organized at SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS.

Thermal Properties & Thermal Mass Articles

• FLOOR COVERING for OVER THERMAL MASS SLABS
• THERMAL EXPANSION CRACKS in BRICK
• THERMAL EXPANSION of HOT WATER
• THERMAL EXPANSION TPR VALVE LEAKS
• THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS
• THERMAL IMAGING, THERMOGRAPHY
• THERMAL IMAGING MOLD SCANS
• THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS - home
• THERMAL MASS FLOOR SLABS
• THERMAL MASS in HOMES - STUDY
• THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS
• THERMAL MASS WALL DESIGN
• THERMAL TRACKING & HEAT LOSS

...

Continue reading at THERMAL MASS WALL DESIGN or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SOLAR ENERGY

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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