Thermal Mass explained

You may have heard the term before. But what is it?

It’s a building science term referring to the heat-retaining ability of a material. Put simply, heavier, denser materials have a higher thermal mass than lighter materials. Things like brickwork, concrete, stone, are good examples of thermal mass – they hold heat for longer than other things. Why does this matter?

When designing a living space, thermal mass can be useful in capturing natural solar heat gains, and retaining them throughout the day, then radiating that warmth through the house at night and regulating the internal temperature of a building naturally. It also takes a lot longer to heat up, which is helpful in summer – it can transfer some of the cool from its internal mass, into the internal space and balance the radiant heat from the outside, which keeps the entire house cooler for longer – requiring less air conditioning and other energy consumption – in effect keeping carbon emissions down!

It can also be used as a “heat sink” to transfer heat/cool between the air and natural ground, via its thermal conductivity. It’s the reason underground houses in the desert are much cooler during the day and warmer at night than the surrounding atmosphere.

Thermal mass is just one of many principles we use to create sustainable, energy efficient spaces. Combined with some other passive techniques it can be a powerful tool. Talk to us today to learn more!