Solar & Wind 7~'chnology Vol. 5. No. 3, pp. 303 313, 1988 Printed in Great Britain.

0741 983X/88 $3.00+.00 Pergamon Press plc

TECHNICAL NOTE
Role of thermal insulation in passive designs of buildings
A. ANANI and Z . JIBRIL

Renewable Energy Department, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, P.O. Box, 140027, A m m a n , Jordan

(Received 9 October; accepted 18 November 1987)

Abstract--The utilization of solar energy for active and passive applications in buildings requires the careful selection of materials that have, (a) high thermal storage capacity, (b) thermal insulation efficiency, and (c) a balance of the two. The choice is not easy to make notably when the building falls in a temperate climatic zone. This paper tackles the selection of materials for usage in buildings from different angles to ensure the ease of selection. First, the optimal economic thickness of an insulation material is determined very accurately using the m i n i m u m life-cycle cost method and the annual heating degree days ( A H D D s ) for different sites. F r o m this, the optimal thermal transmittance (U-value) for the building structure in a given climatic zone is determined. Second, a graphic relationship between U-value vs A H D D s is established. Third, annual energy savings in k W h ton ~ of insulation material is calculated. From this, the pay-back period of energy consumed in manufacturing the installed thermal insulation material is calculated. The higher the pay-back period the less desirable is the use of thermal insulation materials and more favourable is the use of high mass materials. This approach is well reasoned to allow its extensibility to all buildings in all climatic zones. It should certainly give insight to the possible contribution of solar energy in meeting demand for active and passive heating/cooling of buildings. Results are summarized in Figs 3 and 4.

INTRODUCTION Insulation material industries are traditionally being set up in the developed and developing countries on a large scale to reduce energy wastages in domestic, commercial and industrial sectors. This study looks into the mineral fibers industrial processes as an example of energy intensive industries with the following objectives : (a) To determine the energy losses with and without the use of mineral fibers insulation in the residential sector. (b) To select the optimal economic thickness of insulation and calculate the resulting overall optimal thermal transmittance of the building structure. (c) To find the annual savings in terms of energy (kWh) and fuel (diesel) (liters). (d) To perform the energy pay-back method taking into account the running production cost of insulation and the annual energy savings. (e) To plot the optimal U-value (W m 2 ' C ~ ) v s A H D D s ('C days) to guide the selection of appropriate insulation materials in a given climate. Strategies are shown in Figs 1 and 2 for appropriate climatic control. In Fig. 1 it can be seen that passive solar heating falls in the region where dry bulb temperature ranges between 12 18~'C. Realizing that thermal insulation is an integral part of any passive design control strategy, the careful selection of the thermal insulation material in the appropriate thickness is evident. Inspection of Fig. 2 shows that in some regions like Dar Es Salaam, the use of material of high mass rather than thermal insulation efficiency is more important in this case. In comparison, A m m a n (the capital

of Jordan) has a mixed climate and it is important therefore to satisfy the need for high mass and thermal insulation efficiency. This paper presents a reasoned approach to tackle this problem. The approach is depicted in Figs 3 and 4 and consists mainly of: (i) Calculating the energy consumed in manufacturing some thermal insulation materials taking glass wool and rock wool as examples in this study. Having determined the energy used in manufacturing this information will be used to calculate energy pay-back period later. (ii) It is important to calculate the optimal economic thickness of insulation material using the m i n i m u m life-cycle cost method and A H D D s for different climatic zones. The study shown overleaf is applicable to Jordan. However, it is extensible to other countries with modification of fuel prices, A H D D s and building codes inputs. M I N E R A L FIBERS P R O D U C T I O N P L A N T S Mineral fibers are taken as illustrative examples. Recently the production of mineral fibers started in developing countries. In the Middle East, mineral fibers' production started in the late 70s and early 80s. By 1985 the number of mineral fibers' production plants in the Middle East reached 6 with production capacities ranging from 6000 20000 tons yr each [1].

Raw material of mineralfibers

The selection of raw material for the production of mineral fibers determines the type of technology to be used for their production [2]. 303

31)4

lcehnical Note

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The main physical properties of the raw material to be transformed into fibers are : (a) (b) (c) (d) availability, meltability, homogeneity, viscosity of the melt,

(e) liquidus temperature, (f) initiation of crystallization of the melt, (g) surface tension of the melt. The fibers must have stable chemical properties and be corrosion resistant. Also, the fibers must be elastic, free of shots and adequately long.

90 80 70 60

50

40

30

20

....
0

\ co.~, ,~o~
35 /.0 45 1,8

10

15

20

25

30

Fig. 1. Appropriate climate control strategies.

Technical Note ENERGY C A L C U L A T I O N S

305

In this respect we are interested in calculating or estimating the following :

2 . . . . . . . .

Fig. 2. Mean monthly temperatures of Dar Es Salaam (Di 6'50'S) and A m m a n (Ai 31'59~N). Base temperature (18~'C) above which no heating is required. Rock wool The mineral fiber (Rock Wool) is produced utilizing a single rock operation, namely basalt (eruptive volcanic rock) which is abundantly available and easily accessible, and with uniform chemical composition. Glass wool The mineral fiber (Glass Wool) is produced using a selection of mixture of the following raw materials: Sand 0.62/ton of glass wool Soda ash 0.24/ton of glass wool Dolomite 0.12/ton of glass wool Colemnite 0.15/ton of glass wool China clay 0.05/ton of glass wool Other 0.05/ton of glass wool Mineral fibers production process Mineral wools (Rock, Glass or Slag) are produced principally by employing one of the following processes : (a) Steam blown process. In this process rock, glass or slag is melted at high temperatures. The melted material is then allowed to run into a jet of steam where fibers are produced. The characteristic of this particular process is that the fibers produced are coarse (approx. 30 # m in diameter) and short. Also, they contain a large quantity of unfiberized material, up to about 20% by weight. (b) Spinninq process. In this process the melted material falls on spinning wheels with centrifugal action. The action of the wheels causes the material to fiberise. The resulting fibers are less coarse than those produced in the first process, the average fiber diameter being around 4 12/~m. They also contain less shots, around 5 15% by weight. (c) Attenuation process. This process is normally used with glass wool only. The molten glass is drawn through holes into line filaments. Blasts from jet burners then extend the strand into very fine fibers (approx. 2 ~m in diameter). In all processes the fibers may be processed further by adding suitable binders and cured in baking ovens to form pipe sections, slabs, rolled felts. Alternatively, the fibers be simply formed into mattresses or quilts where they are stitched in place using normal cotton, fiber or metal threads. C O M P A R A T I V E STUDY B E T W E E N ROCK W O O L AND GLASS W O O L For comparison purposes this study considers in detail both rock and glass wools and their respective manufacturing process and their respective energy inputs (Tables 1 and 2).

(a) M i n i m u m life-cycle cost to determine the optimal economic thickness for the insulation material. (b) Optimal U-value for walls and roofs. The optimal thermal transmittance (U-value) is calculated by reference to the most c o m m o n construction using the optimal thickness determined in (a) above. (c) U-value-AHDDs relationship. (d) Annual energy saving calculations. (e) Energy pay-back period, to determine the period for the energy savings that match the energy used in m a n u facturing the used quantity of thermal insulation material with known thickness as determined from (a) above in a given climatic zone. Minimum l~[b-cycle cost ( M L C C ) In order to find MLCC, the following parameters should be determined : (1) The annual energy losses using different thicknesses of the insulation material. (2) The cost of the respective energy losses over a life span (of 10 years in this study). (3) The cost of insulation used. The annual energy losses The following equation is used for calculating the annual energy losses [5]: Q = 0.024 x U x A H D D s where Q U AHDDs 0.024 = = = annual energy losses kWh m 2 thermal transmittance W m ~"C ~, annual heating degree days ( C day), a multiplier determined by converting W m - 2 C to k W h m 2 x ( C day), this is done through this conversion, W 24 h (No. of hours per day) m 5 ,,c x 1000 ( w to kW) =0.024kWhm 2,Cday. (1)

In order to find the annual energy losses (1), values of 100, 400, 700, 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900 and 2200C day were taken for A H D D s realizing that, U = 1/[R+ (t/KO] where R = thermal resistance for conventional buildings (m z ~'C W ') [31, - 0.338 for walls, - 0.380 for roofs, t - insulation thickness (m) values of = 0.001, 0.002, . . . , 0.1 were taken in this study, K t - thermal conductivity of the insulation material (Win "~C ')[31, - 0.040 for 140 kg m 3 rock wool in roofs, = 0.037 for 100 kg m 3 rock wool in walls, - 0.045 for 100 kg m 3 glass wool in roofs, = 0.033 for 50 kg m 3 glass wool in walls. Some of the results of the above data used in solving

306

Technical Nolo
ROCKWOOL
Oensity=ll,O k g / m 3 in roof & 100 in wall

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0.002 100 ~0 700 1000 1300 1600 O For roofs x For wo[[s ANNUAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS C 1900 2200

Fig. 3. Relationship between annual hcating degree days and each of, (a) optimal thickness of insulation (rock wool), (b) optimal thermal transmittance, (c) annual energy savings and, (d) energy pay-back period (years).

Technical Note
GLASS WOOL

307

Density=t00 kglm 3 in roof & 50 in wall ~\ \ \ ~ x ROOFS (ATTENUATING) a ROOFS (SPINNING) A WALLS [ATTENUATING) o WALLS
ISPINNING)

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700 1000 1300 1600 roofs x For wQIts ANNUAL HEATING DEGREE DAYS [
For

1900

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Fig. 4. Relationship between annual heating degree days and each of, (a) optimal thickness of insulation (glass wool), (b) optimal thermal transmittance, (c) annual energy savings and, (d) energy pay-back period.

308

Technical Nolc Table I. Production planls Insulation material Rock wool Basalt with a maximum requirement of 6 tons of basalt per day 5 tons per day

Item 1. Raw material 2. M a x i m u m production capacity based on 24 hours of operation 3. Fuel used for melting

Glass woo] Mixture of sand, soda ash, dolomite, colemnite, china clay and others 2.4 tons per day

Diesel oil with S.G. = 0.85.

Butane gas and that used for the flame attenuation process is gas oil S.G. = 0.85 Of phenolic type used in percentage of 11~15% of the dry weight of the panels Water at the rate of 2.5 tons per ton of glass wool

4. Binder used

Of phenolic type used in percentage of 2-10% of the dry weight of the panels Emulsifying oil used at the rate of 4 kg per ton of wool and water at the rate of 3 tons per ton of wool

5. Other basic materials needed for the manufacturing process

equation 1 are presented in Table 3 (50 kg m ~ glass wool in walls, K~ - 0.033 W m t ~C ~and A H D D s - 100~C day).
The cost o f annual energy losses over ten years" In order to find the cost of 1 k W h losses, the following conversions are used :

where CE = cost of energy over ten years USD m -'. CQ - cost of energy losses USD m 2 P WF present worth factor (years),
-

239 000 K cal = 278 kWh, 1 kgdiesel = 10000 K cal (assuming = 100% efficiency), = 6500 K cal (efficiency for cooling and heating systems in Jordan - 65%), 36.8 kg diesel = 43 liters diesel. Hence, 1 kWh is equivalent to 0.15 liters of diesel, the cost of ! liter of diesel = 0.2 USD. Therefore, the cost of 1 kWh losses is 0.03 USD. The results for the cost of energy losses are presented in Table 3. To estimate the cost of energy losses over ten years, the following formula is used CE - CQ x PWF (2)

DR['
where D R = discount rate - 8%, N - l(I years. The results of(2) are shown also in Table 3.

"

The cost o f insulation used The cost of one square meter of insulation used is defined
as,

CI = 1 . 8 p x ! where CI - cost of insulation used (USD m ~),

(3)

Table 2. Energy used in production Production capacity in GJ per tonne of mineral wool Rock wool Glass wool 1 ton 5 ton Spinning Attenuating 1.26 29.32 0.052 11.75 1.043 65.60 (18236.8) 1.26 12.20 0.052 11.75 1.043 44.90 (12482.2) 3.99 1.87 7.62 17.00 24.8 1.043 102.48 (28489.4) 3.99 1.87 7.62 28.52 24.8 1.043 115.56 (32 125.7)

Energy station Raw material Mixing Melting Fiberizing Board forming Services and administration Gross energy used in production [1, 2] GJ ton i (kWh ton -I)

Technical Note

309

Table 3. Optimal insulation thickness using MLCC method Heating degree days CC) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 I00 100 100 100 100 Insulation thickness (m) 0.000 0.001 *0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005 0.006 0.007 0.008 0.009 0.010 0.011 0.012 0.013 0.014 0.015 0.016 0.017 0.018 0.019 0.020 0.021 0.022 0.023 0.024 0.025 0.026 0.027 0.028 0.029 0.030 0.031 0.032 0.033 0.034 0.035 0.036 0.037 0.038 0.039 0.040 0.041 0.042 0.043 0.044 0.045 0.046 0.047 0.048 0.049 0.050 Cost of energy over 10 years (USD m 2) 1.43 1.31 1.21 1.13 1.05 0.99 0.93 0.88 0.83 0.79 0.75 0.72 0.69 0.66 0.63 0.61 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.53 0.51 0.50 0.48 0.47 0.45 0.44 0.43 0.42 0.41 0.40 0.39 0.38 0.37 0.36 0.35 0.35 0.34 0.33 0.32 0.32 0.31 0.31 0.30 0.29 0.29 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.26 Cost of insulation (USD m 2) 0.00 0.09 0.18 0.27 0.36 0.45 0.54 0.63 0.72 0.81 0.90 0.99 1.08 1.17 1.26 1.35 1.44 1.53 1.62 1.71 1.80 1.89 1.98 2.07 2.16 2.25 2.34 2.43 2.52 2.61 2.70 2.79 2.88 2.97 3.06 3.15 3.24 3.33 3.42 3.5 l 3.60 3.69 3.78 3.87 3.96 4.05 4.14 4.23 4.32 4.41 4.50 Ins. + energy costs (USD m 2) 1.43 1.40 1.39' 1.40 1.41 1.44 1.47 1.5 l 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.71 1.77 1.83 1.89 1.96 2.03 2.10 2.17 2.24 2.31 2.39 2.46 2.54 2.61 2.69 2.77 2.85 2.93 3.01 3.09 3.17 3.25 3.33 3.41 3.50 3.58 3.66 3.74 3.83 3.9 I 4.00 4.08 4.16 4.25 4.33 4.42 4.50 4.59 4.68 4.76

Energy lost (kWh m 2) 7.10 6.52 6.02 5.60 5.23 4.90 4.62 4.36 4.13 3.93 3.74 3.57 3.42 3.28 3.15 3.03 2.92 2.81 2.72 2.63 2.54 2.46 2.39 2.32 2.25 2.19 2.13 2.08 2.02 1.97 1.92 1.88 1.84 1.79 1.75 1.72 1.68 1.64 1.61 1.58 1.55 1.52 1.49 1.46 1.44 1.41 1.39 1.36 1.34 1.32 1.30

Cost of energy (USD m 2) 0.21 0.20 0.18 0.17 0.16 0.15 0.14 0.13 0.12 0.12 0.11 0. l I 0.10 0.I0 0.09 0.09 0,09 0,08 0,08 0.08 0,08 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04

Density of glass wool = 50 kg m 3 for walls. Thermal conductivity - 0.033 W m t C ~.

310 p = density of insulation malerial (kg m ') t - insulation thickness (m), 1.8 = cost of 1 kg of insulation (USD).

Technical Nole

The results using (3) arc presented in Table 3. After calculating the above mentioned parameters, the MLCC can be easily determined by summing up the cost of energy losses over ten years and the cost of insulation used with different thicknesses for the same AHDDs. The minimum of the summing costs over different thicknesses is the MLCC and the insulation thickness corresponding to this MLCC is called the optimal thickness of insulation. Table 3 illustrates the method of evaluating MLCC and the optimal thickness, wherein they are denoted by * The relationship between the optimal thickness and A H D D s is shown in Figs 3(a) (for rock wool) and 4(a) (for glass wool).

~.zZ

Optimal U-value,/or walls and rooj.~"

Once the optimal thickness has been determined, the optimal U-value can be found out by the formula U,,p,. - ll[R+(t,,p,/K,)] where Uop,. = optimal thermal transmittance W m ~-C - ~, R - thermal resistance for conventional buildings in Jordan (m 2 ~C W '), - 0.338 for walls, = 0.380 for roofs, top~. = optimal thickness of insulation (m), K, = thermal conductivity of insulation material (W m ~' C - ' ) . The results of (4), for rock wool and glass wool with different densities, are presented in Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7. (4)
c_.,~

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U-value A HDDs relationship

The data presented in Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7 for the optimal U-value are plotted against A H D D s for rock wool and glass wool in walls and roofs applications. Results are shown in Figs 3(b) and 4(b) respectively.

Annual energy savings calculations

The annual energy savings are calculated using the following equations : Qi - 0.024 x Ut x A H D D s Q2 = 0.024 x Uop, x A H D D s (5) (6)
;2 ;2

_o.~

Qs - Q,
where

Q2
(7)

= 0.024 x A H D D s (Ui - Uopt )

Q ~ = annual energy losses without insulation (kWh m 2), U~ = thermal transmittance of conventional buildings, = 2 . 9 5 9 W m -' C '[3], A H D D s = annual heating degree days ('C day), Q2 ~ annual energy losses with the use of insulation (kWh m 2) U,,v, ~ optimal thermal transmittance at certain A H D D s and predetermined optimal thickness of insulation material, Qs = annual energy savings (kWh m -').

CzG
.<

ggggggoo

Table 5.

AHDD (C) Weight of 1 m 2 Annual saving (10 3 x k W h ton ~) ( 1 0 3 x k W h ton t) -0.007 0.014 0.019

Optimal thickness (m)

Uop~ Wm 2C ~

Q losses with insulation kWhm ~ Annual saving k W h m --~ Volume of 1 m 2 of OT (m 3)

Q losses without insulation kWhm 2

E.P.B.* for 1 ton production capacity (year)

E.P.B.* for 5 ton production capacity (year)

100 400 700 1000 1300 1600 1900 2200

0 0.007 0.014 0.019 0.023 0.027 0.030 0.033

2.959 1.897 1.396 1.174 1.042 0.936 0.870 0.813

7.101 18.211 23.453 28.176 32.510 35.942 39.672 42.926

7.|01 28.402 49.704 71.006 92.308 113.609 134.911 156.213

0 10.191 26.251 42.830 59.798 77.667 95.239 113.287

0.023
0.027 0.030 0.033

0.7 1.4 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.0 3.3

14.56 18.75 22.54 26.00 28.77 31.75 34.33

1.25 0.97 0.81 0.70 0.63 0.57 0.53

0.86 0.66 0.55 0.48 0.43 0.39 0.36

Rock wool : p = 100 kg m -3 in walls. K=0.037Wm ~ C -~. * Energy pay-back period. Q, Energy. p, Density. K, Thermal conductivity. OT, Optimal thickness.

P~

Table 6.

HDD (C) 5.967 19.546 25.973 30.768 35.911 40.090 43.548 46.517 6.316 25.263 44.211 63.158 82./05 101.053 120.000 138.947 0.349 5.717 18.238 32.390 46.190 60.963 76.452 92.430 0.001 0.005 0.012 0.018 0.022 0.026 0.030 0.034

Optimal thickness (m) Annual saving kWh m -2 Volume of l m 2 of OT (m 3)

Uop~ W m 2~C i

Q losses with insulation kWh m :

Q losses without insulation kWh m ~-

Weight of 1 m 2 (10 3 x k W h ton -~) 0.1 0.5 1.2 1.8 2.2 2.6 3.0 3.4

Annual saving (103 kWh ton -~) 3,49 I 1.43 15.20 17.99 21.00 23.45 25,48 27.18

E.P.B.* for spinning process (year) 8.16 2.49 1.87 1.56 1.36 1.21 1.12 1.05

E.P.B.* for attenuating process (year) 9.21 2.81 2.11 1.78 1.53 1.37 1.26 1.18

100 400 700 1000 1300 1600 1900 2200

0.001 0.005 0.012 0.018 0.022 0.026 0.030 0.034

2.486 2.036 1.546 1.282 1.151 1.044 0.955 0.881

Glass wool: p = I00 kg m 3 in roofs. K = 0.045 W m J'C *Energy pay-back period. Q, Energy. p, Density.

IC, Thermal conductivity.

OT, Optimal thickness.

312

Technical Note J'he results of(5), ( 0 l a n d (7) are shown in [ables 4. >. (~ and 7. Figure 3(c) and Fig. 4(c) show the relationship between A H D D s and annual energy savings for rock wool and glass wool respectively for roofs and walls applications.

)wrqy pay-hack period

In order to estimate the energy pay-back period we consider first the gross energy used in the production of rock wool in different production capacities (1 ton and 5 tons per day). Likewise, the gross energy used to produce glass wool for different production processes (spinning and attenuating), as presented in Table 2. Since the energy used in production is given in kWh ton ' of insulation the annual energy savings per 1 m 2 of wall or roof areas and per the optimal thickness of insulation used should be converted to the same units, i.e. kWh ton of insulation used. It is necessary therefore to find the weight of that optimal thickness of insulation used. This is easily done by the following manipulations : Volume of I m: of thickness - t (m 3)

e
.~ .,o
r~ ,ad

Weight of 1 m-" of thickness - p x t (kg) - 10 xpt(ton) where t - optimal thickness of insulation (m), p = density of insulation (kg m 3) 10 -9 = multiplier to convert kg to ton. The results of the above formulas are shown in Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7. The energy pay-back period is then calculated by dividing the energy used in production by the annual energy savings. The results are shown in Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7 and plotted in Figs 3(d) and 4(d).

O O
.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
.-q E The following example is conducted in order to find the optimal insulation thickness, the optimal U value for buildings in a certain climatic zone, the annual energy savings, fuel savings and energy pay-back period by using Figs 3 and 4. Amman, with total annual heating degree day of 1500 C day is taken as an example. Ca) If rock wool is used as insulation material for walls, inspection of Fig. 3 reveals the following : (1) Optimal thickness = 0.026 m. (2) U - 0 . 9 7 W m -' C ~. (3) Annual energy savings = 28000 kWh ton t insulation. (4) Fuel savings (diesel) = 4400 liter ton ~insulation. (5) Energy pay-back period (taking the production capacity of 5 tons per day) - 0.45 year. (b) If glass wool is used in walls instead of rock wool, Fig. 4 reveals the following : (1) Optimal insulation thickness = 0.04 m. (2) U = 0 . 6 5 W m -''C '. (3) Annual energy savings = 42000 kWh ton J insulation. (4) Fuel savings (diesel)= 6600 liters ton L insulation. (5) Energy pay-back period (taking the spinning process) = 0.8 year. The results are summarized in Table 8.

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Technical Note Table 8. Energy calculation in walls Optimal thickness (m) 0.026 0.04 Annual energy saving kWh ton i 28 000 42000

313

Insulation material Rock wool (Fig. 3) Glass wool (Fig. 4)

~t,; C i 0.97 0.65

Fuel saving liters ton ' 4400 6600

Energy pay-back period years 0.45* 0.8 spinning

* Production capacity 5 ton day ~.

D I S C U S S I O N S AND R E S U L T S Anani has shown that, in most cases, mineral used as thermal insulation materials such as glass wool which are energy-intensive in their manufacturing have low heat storage capacity. In contrast, those minerals which are formed using non-intensive energy process are endowed with heatstoring capacity at the expense of their thermal insulation efficiency such as foamed concrete [4]. It is important therefore to correctly use materials in a given climate with known A H D D s . To give one example, the c o m m o n practice using solely glass wool in hot~zlry climates should be terminated: probably the use of a composite material having the thermal efficiency of one material and the heat-storing capacity of another compatible material furnishes the optimal solution in constructing buildings that interact positively with changeable climates. It makes little sense to use thermal insulation materials in buildings when heat storing capacity is the overriding concern. If the objective is to save energy, then the pay-back period for recapturing the energy used in their manufacturing can be as long as 9 years (Fig. 4) in climatic areas with 200 A H D D s providing that such materials maintain their initial efficiency. It would be far more rewarding to use materials that can store energy thus controlling the heat flux indoors during hot weather and consequently increasing comfort indoors without having to turn on air-conditioners for extended periods. A passively-designed building can only perform to expectations if careful selection of heat-controlling materials is done. Equally important is that Thermal Insulation Codes should be modified in countries with mixed climates so that

each code reflects the real needs of each climatic zone rather than enforcing the same code in all zones. The potential for energy-savings can exceed 40% in buildings this way by ensuring the correct building~limate interaction to maximize utilization of solar energy in heating applications and minimize need for artificial cooling. This paper goes a long way in determining the basis for correlating thermal transmittance of buildings with prevailing climatic conditions and the economic worthiness of using thermal materials in buildings with or without passive design features. Acknowledgement--We thank Miss Khowla M u h y a r for typing the manuscript.
REFERENCES I. A. Anani and F. A b u Maghli, Energy C o n s u m p t i o n of Mineral Fibres During Manufacturing. Unpublished work (1986). 2. United Nations Proceedings of the Working G r o u p Meeting on The Use of Energy, pp. 55 60, Energy Resources Development Department, Series No. 22, New York (1980). 3. Code of Thermal Insulation in Buildings, Vol. 13. Ministry of Public Works, Jordan (1985). 4. A. Anani, Futuristic Aspects of Mineral Foams as Thermal lnsulants. Proc. World Congress on Non-Metallic Minerals, pp. 199 220. Yugoslav Association of Mining, Belgrade (1985). 5. P. Harris, Preparing the Company Energy Plan. A Management Planning Guide, sponsored by Trasmitton Ltd, pp. 61 62. Energy Publications, U.K. (1986).