Reducing Building Energy Losses

Depending on the time of year, a heat loss or a heat gain wastes energy. For example, a heat loss during the winter means wasted energy in heating the building. Similarly, during the summer months, a heat gain means wasted energy in cooling the building. The building construction affects the heat loss and heat gain. Figure 7-1 illustrates the total heat gain of the building. The flow of heat is always from one temperature to a colder temperature. The heat loss of a building is illustrated by Figure 7-2. In this case, the building is considered the “hot body.”