Optimization of a Building's Indoor Temperature and Sensitive Air-Conditioning Loads Using the BLT-Parpaing Hollow Double Wall

Abstract

In hot, dry tropical climates (sahelian), such as Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), high demand for air conditioning in buildings poses a major energy challenge. This study aims to optimize the indoor temperature and sensible air conditioning loads of a typical three-bedroom F3 building with cavity walls, using a double-wall system combining lightweight concrete blocks and hollow concrete blocks (LBC-hollow block), a solution rarely studied in these climatic conditions. The methodology consisted of characterizing the thermal properties of the materials and simulating the building in reference and optimized scenarios using KoZiBu software. The results show that the use of BLT-cinder block double walls reduces the average indoor temperature by 2 to 2.6°C depending on the room, with a maximum decrease of 4.1°C in February in room 2, compared to a single-wall building made of hollow cinder blocks. This improvement translates into annual energy savings of 24.06%. However, to promote the adoption of the system, it would be relevant to compare these savings with the additional cost of implementing the BLT double wall.