HO-82-03-3 -- In Situ Measurement of Masonry Wall Thermal Resistance PDF

Knowledge of the thermal performance of building envelopes under actual conditions is very limited. Comparisons of actual conditions with theoretical performance give insight into how to improve construction, and in situ measurement is becoming more reliable and accepted as a way of assessing actual thermal performance.

We have been developing techniques for in situ measurement to provide a basis for investing in thermal improvements to existing buildings. We have limited our investigations to the thermal resistance of building envelopes because thermal storage in conventional building envelopes offers only moderate benefits in very cold climates. By the same token, the thermal storage properties of building envelopes can make thermal resistance (R-value) difficult to measure.