Comparison of energy consumption between the old and modern houses in Sydney

The thermal mass of a building serves as energy storage and thus improves the stability of indoor temperature and provides opportunities for saving in heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) energy. In Australia, brick veneer houses with the slab on the ground, which have a higher thermal mass than the older fibro houses built over brick piers incorporating floating floors, are becoming very popular. Past simulation work by the authors supports the claim that modern houses can save significant amounts of energy used by HVAC systems. This chapter presents a case study comparing the actual energy consumed by an older fibro house and a modern brick veneer house constructed at the same site. From the case study it can be concluded that modern brick veneer houses can reduce energy use by 35% compared to the old fibro houses. Of course, there are a number of factors which contribute to the energy savings observed in this study, but one of the key factors is the increased thermal mass of the modern brick veneer house.