Wenny Arminda, Hanizam Awang, Khalid Ahmad
The high indoor air temperature of buildings located in tropical countries such as Malaysia forces people to rely on indoor air conditioning systems (AC). Despite reducing indoor air temperature, the utilization of AC systems consumes a large amount of energy and has a negative impact on the thermal environment. Therefore, the use of lightweight concrete with high thermal insulation properties has become a necessity for overcoming such problems. This study aimed to investigate the reduction of the indoor air temperature inside a building using foamed concrete blocks containing palm oil fuel ash (POFA), a by-product of the combustion of palm oil biomass, including palm oil fibres and kernel shells. Foamed concrete blocks with a density of 900 kg/m3 were cast using 20% POFA as a cement replacement. The blocks were installed as the external partition wall in a single-floor building with a total area of 20 m2. Measurements of the indoor and outdoor air temperatures of the building were conducted. A simulation study also was conducted using an IES-VE software simulation to assess the electricity consumption of the building. The experimental result showed that the application of POFA-foamed concrete blocks could reduce the indoor air temperature by as much as 5.69ºC during peak periods. The electricity consumption using POFA-foamed concrete was found to be 32.8% less than that of normal concrete. Owing to its excellent characteristics in reducing the indoor air temperature, POFA-foamed concrete blocks can be used to provide high insulation in building partitions. © School of Engineering, Taylor’s University.
Architecture Program, Department of Regional and Infrastructure Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung Selatan, Lampung, 35365, Indonesia; School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
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