4 ms·

...it provides good insulation... This might be true, but it would be surprising, since even "aerated" concrete would still be made of highly thermally conduct

...it provides good insulation... This might be true, but it would be surprising, since even "aerated" concrete would still be made of highly thermally conductive... concrete.

R0b0t1 5y ago
The thermal mass of your house is part of the perceived insulation. In the desert especially nights are cold, the house chills, and retains that chill throughout the day, keeping it cool inside.
- earleybird 5y ago
  Thermal mass to manage comfort could be seen as tuning latency for your arrival and departure of your heat packets.
elihu 5y ago
If memory serves, normal concrete has an R value of about 1 per foot, whereas AAC is more like 1 to 2 per inch. So, an 8 inch wall would have an R-value of about 8-16. That doesn't seem like enough for a cold climate, so I'd assume for those applications you'd probably add an extra layer of actual insulation. (This would mean having pretty thick walls.) You wouldn't need as much supplemental insulation as you would with a regular concrete wall, though. The thermal mass is also nice, though it doesn't really help much in winter-time. I think AAC is a bit more suited to warm desert climates where you have a daily hot/cold cycle.
- vbezhenar 5y ago
  20-inch wall is enough for pretty cold climate according to my calculations. Either that or thin wall with insulation (or thin wall and more money on heating which might be an acceptable solution, if you have cheap coal and your country does not care what you build).
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
  Fairly sure that AAC has less thermal mass than regular concrete. It's more air, less concrete, and the thermal mass comes from the concrete.
  - elihu 5y ago
    Yeah, that sounds right. Still, a lot less than concrete can still be a lot. And I think in most cases I'd rather have better insulation than more thermal mass.
orthoxerox 5y ago
Here in Russia it usually requires an external layer of insulation plus cladding, you don't just stucco it and call it a day. I did the math and a wall two blocks thick should be barely sufficient, but needs a vapour barrier inside, or the dew point will be inside the wall, ruining it. A vapour barrier and a drywall finish means no reduction in construction costs.

...it provides good insulation... This might be true, but it would be surprising, since even "aerated" concrete would still be made of highly thermally conductive... concrete.

R0b0t1 5y ago

The thermal mass of your house is part of the perceived insulation. In the desert especially nights are cold, the house chills, and retains that chill throughout the day, keeping it cool inside.

earleybird 5y ago
Thermal mass to manage comfort could be seen as tuning latency for your arrival and departure of your heat packets.

elihu 5y ago

If memory serves, normal concrete has an R value of about 1 per foot, whereas AAC is more like 1 to 2 per inch. So, an 8 inch wall would have an R-value of about 8-16. That doesn't seem like enough for a cold climate, so I'd assume for those applications you'd probably add an extra layer of actual insulation. (This would mean having pretty thick walls.) You wouldn't need as much supplemental insulation as you would with a regular concrete wall, though. The thermal mass is also nice, though it doesn't really help much in winter-time. I think AAC is a bit more suited to warm desert climates where you have a daily hot/cold cycle.

vbezhenar 5y ago
20-inch wall is enough for pretty cold climate according to my calculations. Either that or thin wall with insulation (or thin wall and more money on heating which might be an acceptable solution, if you have cheap coal and your country does not care what you build).
PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
Fairly sure that AAC has less thermal mass than regular concrete. It's more air, less concrete, and the thermal mass comes from the concrete.
- elihu 5y ago
  Yeah, that sounds right. Still, a lot less than concrete can still be a lot. And I think in most cases I'd rather have better insulation than more thermal mass.

orthoxerox 5y ago

Here in Russia it usually requires an external layer of insulation plus cladding, you don't just stucco it and call it a day. I did the math and a wall two blocks thick should be barely sufficient, but needs a vapour barrier inside, or the dew point will be inside the wall, ruining it. A vapour barrier and a drywall finish means no reduction in construction costs.