Influence of hygroscopic property of lime and cement plaster on building energy consumption for different climate zones of India
Divya Mullick1*, Rashmin Damle1, Nikhil Bhesaniya2, Yash Shukla2, Rajan Rawal2
1: Faculty of Technology, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India;
2: Center for Advanced Research in Building Science and Energy, CRDF, Ahmedabad, India
DOI: 10.62744/CATE.45273.1126-102-110
Email: mullickdivya@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Lime and cement are the commonly used walling materials in India. They are used as wall mortar and wall finish materials. Lime is a sustainable material with qualities such as breathability and better moisture transfer properties. Though it is a natural material, in contemporary construction practices, lime mortar or lime plaster has been replaced by cement mortar and cement plaster. To predict the impact of the moisture-buffering ability of building materials, hygrothermal simulations are carried out. It is a simulation-based study where the two numerical models of EnergyPlus are studied: Conduction Transfer Function (CTF) and Combined Heat and Moisture Transfer (HAMT). The study quantifies the annual energy consumption in a low-rise office building for five climate zones of India. Preliminary work shows that lime-plastered building has lower indoor relative humidity by 6 - 10% and the indoor conditions were 6% more comfortable. The results show that building having cement plaster is more energy consuming than lime. The moisture-buffering capacity of lime helped in reducing overall energy consumption by 12 – 23 kWh/m2 for the five climate zones of India.
Keywords: Heat and Moisture Transfer, Lime Plaster, Cement Plaster, Energy Consumption