Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424

The 7th International Conference on Applied Energy – ICAE2015

Steady state experimental analysis of various solar insulation

materials and techniques for buildings in climatic condition of
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
Hassam ur Rehmana,*
a
RAK Research & Innovation Center,American University of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, Al Jazeera Al hamra,Ras Al Khaimah,PO Box
31208, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

It is known that enhancement of building energy efficiency can help in reducing energy consumption. The
use of solar insulating materials are the most efficient and cost effective passive methods for reducing the
cooling requirements of a building in the UAE. Apart from theoretical study, there is no experimental
study performed in the UAE on energy savings by using solar insulation materials on buildings. Four
(3mx3mx3m) solar calorimeters have been built in RAK, UAE in order to perform an open air outdoor
test for energy savings obtained with solar insulating materials. The design is aimed to determine the heat
flux reduction and the energy savings achieved with and without different solar insulating materials,
mounted at the south wall of solar calorimeters with similar indoor and ambient conditions. Experimental
results will be discussed to evaluate the thermal performance during summer’s peak season when cooling
demand of the building is at peak. Duration of the test is from 2012 to 2014. The steady state
experimental study shows that if standard building material i.e. concrete is replaced with energy efficient
solar insulation materials (like PIR and EIFS) and reflective coatings, energy savings up to an average
7.6-25.3% can be achieved due to reduction of heat flux by an average 22-75% at south wall during
summer’s steady state analysis.
© 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
© 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Selection and/or
Peer-review peer-reviewofunder
under responsibility responsibility
Applied of ICAE
Energy Innovation Institute
Keywords: UAE buildings; Solar calorimeter; Insulation materials; Experimental analysis; Heat flux reduction; Energy efficiency

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +971 50 37 49 649; fax: +971 7 244 69 51.

E-mail address: hassam.rehman@aurak.ae

1876-6102 © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of Applied Energy Innovation Institute
doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2015.07.241
1420 Hassam ur Rehman / Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424

Nomenclature
AAC Autoclaved aerated concrete PUR Polyurethane
CSEM Centre suisse d' electronique R Resistance (m2K/ W)
et de microtechnique
EIFS Exterior insulation finishing system RAK Ras Al Khaimah
EPS Expanded polystyrene RH Relative humidity
L.L.C. Limited liability company SOLAB Solar open air laboratory
MENA Middle East and North Africa UAE United Arab Emirates
PIR Polyisocyanurate U Heat transfer coefficient
(W/m2K)
ά Absorption coefficient XPS Extruded polystyrene

1. Introduction

Reducing the cooling load is one of the most effective energy conservation methods in buildings that
can potentially be achieved with a combination of building design, thermal insulation and coatings [1].
The amount of energy used in buildings is mainly due to variation related to weather, architectural design
and envelop features [2]. Thermal insulation are materials or combinations of materials that are used to
provide resistance to heat flow, it should have low conductivity for building application in order to reduce
the cooling demand in hot climate and durability [3]. First building was insulated with mineral wool in
1880 in United States of America and from 70s onwards more effective insulations materials have been
discovered and analyzed numerically which is used in building construction in the world [3]. Ucar and
Figen [4] analyzed numerically the optimum thickness of foam board, XPS and fibre glass insulation for
the external wall in the Turkey.
Ozel [5] performed mathematical study on the thermal performance of insulation thickness using XPS
and EPS insulation on south wall made of concrete, brick, briquette, blokbims and AAC in climatic
condition of Elazig, Turkey. Thermal mass, in combination with night-time ventilation strategies for
cooling load reduction for Hong Kong buildings is discussed by Yang and Li [6]. Swinton et al.
experimented insulation specimen of XPS, PUR foam, mineral fibre and glass fibres on the external east
and west walls in Ottawa, Canada for two years [7]. Chirarattananona et al. [8] conducted study on
tropical climate of Thailand and found that insulation of wall decreased the cooling load. National
renewable energy laboratory (NREL) in the USA has extensively examined green buildings design and
energy efficiency in buildings in variety of climates [9]. Radhi [10] focused on buildings in Bahrain with
internal load dominated and does regression analysis on the existing building. Radhi [11] analyzed
insulation of residential villa in Al Ain, UAE. He did simulation of typical Al-Ain villa and during his
work he applied uniform wall R-value. Radhi [12] did simulation study on AAC building material and
showed that it can alone provide 7% of energy reduction if used in Emirates. Experimental study was
done by Ibrahim [13] for six months in UAE for thermal behaviour of insulated building (5m x 5m
x2.8m) by XPS foam. The testing was done on east, west walls and roof. Reduction at inside wall
temperature was observed through insulated walls and roof. Friess, Rakhshan et al. [14] did modelling on
thermal bridge and effect on building energy consumption in Dubai with insulation and without. The
results showed that 30% of energy consumption can be reduced by retrofit existing building.
Experimental study was done on insulation materials in Mediterranean ambient conditions by Cabeza
et al. [15], a reference building(2.4m x 2.4m x 2.4m) made of hollow and perforated bricks walls was
compared with the thermal performance of same buildings made of perforated and hollow bricks, added
with either PUR, mineral wool and XPS insulation materials respectively. It was identified that up to 64%
energy use can be reduced in summers by using PUR. Reflectivity of roof has also become an
 Hassam ur Rehman / Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424 1421

inexpensive method in reducing energy usage in warm climates. Synnefa et al. [16] and Bhatia [17]
studied that by increasing roof reflectivity, it decreases the energy usage in warm climate.
The initiative here is to provide experimental base study for low cost solutions to reduce the cooling
demand and energy consumption, for new and existing buildings in UAE. Also to experimentally evaluate
the thermal and energy performance of reflective coating, PIR insulation instead of PUR for retrofit as it
is moisture resistant and has better mechanical properties [18] and dry wall technology of EIFS [19] used
on south surface of calorimeters and compare them against the reference concrete calorimeter (typical
UAE construction).Sumer steady state results are analyzed and presented for climatic conditions of
RAK,UAE. Whereas, free floating experiments during winter will be done in future work. For this
purpose four solar calorimeters were designed and validated previously [1].

2. Methodology

The calorimeter is aimed to compare two buildings being tested under exactly same conditions. The
first one will act as a reference; this building is made by the general used building materials in UAE. The
other buildings are with added insulating materials and reflective coating. By comparing the insulated or
coated building with un-insulated gives the effect of that solar insulating material on the heat flux
reduction. The south wall and the roof (the two main insolated surfaces) are less insulated, while the rest
of the surfaces are heavily insulate. Test has been done on vertical south facing surfaces and presented in
this paper. However, the test on roof (horizontal surface) is not presented in this paper and will be done in
future work. Calorimeters as shown in Fig.1 are located in RAK, UAE (Al Jazeera Al Hamra, RAK, UAE
Latitude: 25° 5' N | Longitude: 55° 5' E, GMT+4) and built in 2011-2012.

Before After

B1
B2 B3
B4

Fig. 1. Four cubical calorimeter at site with different south wall configuration [Volume = 3 x 3 x 3 meter each]

The structure of the four calorimeter (3m x 3m x 3m) for this study were made of four pillars (25cm x
40cm x 300cm) with reinforcing bars at each corner of the cubical. The configuration of calorimeter
north, west, east surfaces are of AAC blocks of thickness 25cm and wall area of (3m x 3m) (R=2.11
m2K/W) [20], roof was done using concrete precast beams (25cm x 30cm x 300cm) at each corner with
15cm thick concrete slab resting on beams and 2cm thick plaster on each side of the slab (R=0.18
m2K/W) [20]. Base is of area (3m x 3m) filled with crushed gravel, 5cm thick XPS and concrete slab
15cm thick (R=1.687 m2K/W) [20]. There are no windows and only one door at the north surface of the
building, which was kept, closed during the experiments. The distance between each calorimeter building
is 6m. The south wall of the first three buildings is made of 15cm thick concrete with 2cm thick plaster on
each side and the fourth one is made of dry composite wall that is known as EIFS. Area of each wall
surface is (3m x 3m). Three calorimeters with various insulation methods and materials on south wall are
compared against a reference calorimeter with no insulation. The configuration of south walls of each
calorimeter is shown in Table 1
1422 Hassam ur Rehman / Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424

Table 1. Configuration of the south wall of each calorimeter [20]

Buildings South surface configuration R(m2K/W) U(W/m2K)

Reference- (B1) Plaster(2cm)+Concrete(15cm)+Plaster(2cm) 0.308 3.25
Coating- (B2) Plaster(2cm)+Concrete(15cm)+Plaster(2cm)+Coating(ά=0.16) 0.308 3.25
PIR retrofit-(B3) Plaster (2cm)+Concrete(15cm)+ Plaster (2cm)+PIR (5cm) 2.56 0.391
EIFS-(B4) Gypsum(2.4cm)+Mineral wool(10cm)+Cement 5.7 0.175
board(0.9cm)+ EPS board(10cm)

All the four buildings are calibrated at a set point of 24 oC for heat flux before adding any insulation or
coating to the testing surface. During the experiment the data is sensed and it is recorded at 1 second
interval via ADAM module for the heat flux through the south walls.
Details of instrumentation used to collect data during the experiments in the calorimeters are as
follows:

External and internal room temperature and humidity: E+E Elektronik- EE08, accuracy 2% for RH and
±0.5oC for temperature.
Heat flux through south wall (inside): Hukseflux heat flux sensor –HFP01, accuracy of 3%.
Electric consumption: Kamstrup energy meter-KM162L, accuracy of ±1%.
Solar radiation: Vantage Pro 2, accuracy of 0 to 1800W/m2 with ± 5 % of full scale accuracy.

The experimental setup will enable to provide the possibility to perform two kinds of test:

Steady state: Air conditioner is used to control the room temperature at 24oC during the duration of
test; the average heat flux is compared with the reference. It is presented and discussed in this paper.
Free floating test: Temperature inside the room is not controlled and no cooling system is used. Heat
flux behavior through walls is measured continually to determine the effect of thermal mass of
insulation materials. It is not presented in this paper and will be done in future work.

3. Results and discussion

The experiments are carried out from 2012-2014, tests are run simultaneously in all four buildings to
measure the performance of each building at same time. Here, one representative week of each period
from 2012-2014 has been selected and the results obtained are presented and discussed in paper.
The indoor temperature is maintained at set point of 24 oC (±0.5oC) all time during tests with the help
of 1 tonthermal air conditioner in steady state. Summer temperature reached around 30-45oC at peak time
[21]. Fig.2 gives the average heat flux measured at south wall. The heat flux through the reference
building (B1) south wall is much higher than that of B2, B3 or B4.

Reference (B1) Coating (B2) Insulation (B3) EIFS (B4)

60
50
Heat Flux (W/m2)

40
30
20
10
0
27/08/12-03/09/12 07/08/13-14/08/13 13/10/13-20/10/13 07/08/14-14/08/14
Duration of test (days)

Fig. 2. Average heat flux measured through south wall during steady state tests in summers
 Hassam ur Rehman / Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424 1423

The average reduction in heat flux by reflective coating on B2 south wall is around 22%, by retrofit of
south wall with PIR board of 5cm on B3 is around 69% and by using EIFS south wall on B4 reduction is
75% compared to the B1. It is shown in Fig.3.

Coating(B2) Inulation(B3) EIFS(B4)

Heat Flux Reduction
100%
80%
(%)

60%
40%
20%
0%
27/08/12-03/09/12 07/08/13-14/08/13 13/10/13-20/10/13 07/08/14-14/08/14
Duration of test (days)

Fig. 3. Average percentage reduction of heat flux through south wall compared to reference building (B1)

Table 2 present the estimated weekly energy consumed and average saving due to the reduction of
heat flux of the coated and insulated buildings in the represented week. Difference among the B1 and B2
is smaller i.e. 7.6%. With 5cm PIR retrofit insulation on concrete on B3 has increased the energy saving
by 23% followed by EIFS dry wall on B4 as it has increased the savings by 25.3% against reference B1.
Table 2. Weekly energy consumption 07/08/14-14/08/14

Buildings Energy used(kWh) Average saving (%)

Reference-(B1) 103.3 -
Coating-(B2) 95.4 7.6%
PIR retrofit-(B3) 79.5 23%
EIFS-(B4) 77.1 25.3%

4. Conclusion

The experimental setup is done to evaluate the influence of new insulation and coating practically in
buildings. Four calorimeters were constructed in RAK, UAE. It was observed, average heat flux reduced
by 22% with reflective coating on B2, with PIR board(5cm) by 69% on B3 and with dry wall EIFS by
75% on B4 when compared to the B1.Based on reduction of heat flux through south wall the average
energy consumption measured was reduced , by 7.6% in building B2, 23% in building B3 and 25.3% in
building B4 compared to reference building B1.The reduction in heat flux through south wall and
increase in overall energy savings in the calorimeter is due to high thermal resistance (R-Value) of the
material and also by reflecting the solar radiation with coatings. The climatic condition of building B3
and B4 were well maintained while using less energy. Therefore, the best insulation technique is EIFS for
thermal comfort as well as energy performance in UAE. However, the cost effective method is reflective
coating for immediate solutions. Retrofitting insulation (PIR-5cm) shows promising results and it can be
used as immediate solution to existing villas in RAK, UAE. Government policies for buildings have to be
redesigned in order to promote and incorporate these designs in new and existing building to support
sustainability. This study is valid for hot and humid climate region, like MENA where this climate
persists for a longer duration of the year.
1424 Hassam ur Rehman / Energy Procedia 75 (2015) 1419 – 1424

Acknowledgements

The author would thank the Ras Al Khaimah government for support to realize this research project.

Biography
Corresponding author has M.Sc. in Project Management in Environment and Energy
Engineering from Ecole des mines de Nantes. Currently working at RAK research and
innovation center. Domains of research are green buildings, photo voltaic and concentrated
solar power. Also working on research on wind towers in UAE with Leeds University.

References

[1] M. Blanding, K. Hoppe, R. Reddy, U. Kumar and H. Kayal, "Design and Validation of Solar Calorimeter," Sustainability in
Energy and Buildings: Research Advances , seb12w-005, vol. 1, 2012.
[2] S. Dhaka, J. Mathur and V. Garg, "Combined effect of energy efficiency measures and thermal adaptation on air conditioned
building in warm climatic conditions of India," Energy and Buildings, vol. 55, pp. 351-360, 2012.
[3] Y.A.Cengel, "Heat Transfer, A practical approach," MacGraw-Hill, ISBN : 0-07-011505-2, 1998.
[4] A.Ucar and B.Figen, "Effect of fuel type on the optimum thickness of selected insulation materials for the four different
climatic regions of Turkey," Applied Energy, vol. 86, no. 5, pp. 730-736, 2009.
[5] M. Ozel, "Themal performance and optimum insulation thickness of building walls with different structure materials," Applied
Themal Engineering, vol. 31, pp. 3854-386, 2011.
[6] L.Yang and Y. Li, "Cooling load reduction by using thermal mass and night ventilation," Energy and Building, vol. 40, pp.
2052-2058, 2008.
[7] M. Swinton, W. Maref, M. Bomberg, M. Kumaran and N. Normandin, "In Situ performance evaluation of spray polyurethane
foam in the exterior insulation basemet system(EIBS)," Building and Environment, vol. 41, pp. 1872-1880, 2006.
[8] S.Chirarattananona, V. Hienc and P. Tummua, "Thermal performance and cost effectiveness of wall insulation under Thai
Climate," Energy and Buildings, vol. 45, pp. 82-90, 2012.
[9] P.Torrcellini, S. Pless and M.Deru, Lessons learned from case studies of six high-performance buildings, NREL/TP-550-
37542, 2006.
[10] H.Radhi, "Can envelop codes reduce electricity and CO2 emissions in different types of buildings in the hot climate of
Bahrain?," Energy, vol. 34, pp. 205-215, 2009.
[11] H.Radhi, "Evaluating the potential impact of global warming on the UAE residential buildings: a contribution to reduce the
CO2 emissions," Building and Enviornment, vol. 44, pp. 2451-2462, 2009.
[12] H. Radhi, "Viability of autoclaved aerated concrete walls for the residential sector in the UAE," Energy and buildings, vol. 43,
pp. 2086-2092, 2011.
[13] S. M. Ibrahim, "The thermal behavior of thermally insulated and uninsulated buildings," Energy, vol. 12, pp. 615-622, 1986.
[14] W. A. Friess, K. Rakhshan, T. A. Hendawi and S. Tajerzadeh, "Wall insulation measures for residential villas in Dubai: A case
study in energy efficiency," Energy and Buildings, vol. 44, pp. 26-32, 2012.
[15] L. Cabeza, A.Castell, M.Medrano, I.Martorell, G.Perez and I.Fernandez, "Experimental study on the performance of insulation
materials in Mediterranean construction," Energy and Buildings 42(2010), pp. 630-636, 2009.
[16] A. Synnefa, M.Santamouris and H.Akbari, "Estimating the effect of using cool coaring on energy loads and thermal comfort in
residential buildings in various climate conditions," Energy and Buildings, vol. 2007, pp. 1167-1174, 2007.
[17] A. Bhatia, V. Garg and J.Mathur, "Calibrated simulation for estimating energy savings by the use of cool roof in five Indian
climatic zones," Renewable and Sustainable Energy, vol. 3, 2011.
[18] Dyplast products, "Customer bulletine 05-10 Polyiso vs polyurethane properties," May 2010. [Online]. Available:
http://www.slideshare.net/tberglund/polyisocyanurate-vs-polyurethane-insulation-18633689. [Accessed 2014].
[19] BASF , "BASF-the chemical company," 2008. [Online]. Available:
http://www.wallsystems.basf.com/en/about_BASF_wall_systems/Pages/default.aspx. [Accessed 2014].
[20] R. AL-HAMRA Construction Co. LLC, "CSEM-UAE Test buildings," 2011.
[21] CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, "Weather data," RAK, 2014.