Abstract
A mathematical model to study the thermal response of multilayer building components is presented. In this analysis, the time dependent variation of the solar insolation and outdoor temperature are taken into consideration through harmonic analysis of the meteorological data. The model is presented and solved for a general case of multilayer building components with a controlled indoor temperature. The rate of energy storage for different components is obtained. The effect of insulation and energy storing layers upon the cooling load is investigated.
As to reducing the cooling loads on buildings, the analysis showed that dispersion of the insulation material within the building material is less effective than using a continuous equivalent insulation layer placed on the outdoor façade.