Abstract
A comparison of the thermal performance and energy efficiency of walls constructed using autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block with thermal insulating plaster and reflective coating and the standard hollow-core concrete block (HCB) wall is presented. The study was performed through the field monitoring of two test rooms with AAC and HCB walls located in Eastern Saudi Arabia, with weather characterized by a hot and humid climate during the summer. Weather stations, infrared cameras, thermocouples, heat flux meters, temperature/relative humidity sensors, U-value equipment, and power meters were used to assess the thermal performance and energy consumption of the two test rooms. The results indicated that the thermal resistance of AAC walls was about five times that of the HCB walls, whereas the thermal transmittance of AAC walls was reduced by 82%. The AAC blocks with insulating plaster and reflective coating tendered a 58% reduction in the energy consumption in the AAC wall test room. Simulation of the test rooms using DesignBuilder software version 5.4 captured the field results with reasonable accuracy.