Evaluation of thermal properties of aerated concrete used for student residential building, Astana, Kazakhstan

A major part of the worldwide energy is consumed by residential and commercial buildings. Because of its low thermal conductivity (TC) and lightweight compared to normal concrete, aerated concrete (AC) is widely used in a cold region such as Kazakhstan in order to provide proper thermal insulation and prevent significant heat loss. In this paper, the potential of AC to improve the energy performance of student residential building was assessed. Four different mixture proportion of AC and one normal concrete were obtained and tested for both mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. The energy saving effect of AC was simulated using OpenStudio® software tools with an EnergyPlus engine along with annual heat loss calculation. The relationship between porosity and TC of AC shows that the TC of AC increased as the porosity decreased. However, the size and connectivity of pore seem to be important factors to affect the TC of AC. Simulation result of energy performance indicates that AC used in student resi...