Digital Modeling for Selecting the Optimal Combination of Building and Thermal Insulation Materials

Abstract

The climate of Iraq is considered continental, as it is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Therefore, achieving thermal comfort inside the building requires high energy consumption for air conditioning purposes, which significantly increases costs during the operation and maintenance stage of the building’s life cycle. The research aims to provide an organizational and technological solution by developing a digital model to select the optimal combination of building and thermal insulation materials to reduce energy consumption in buildings. The research methodology uses thermodynamic relationships and equations in programming commands and instructions. The Python language was used to develop the program, and the study's results included the creation of a simplified interface for selecting the optimal combination of building materials and thermal insulation. The thickness of the thermal insulation material determines the results produced by the program. For a thickness ≤ (0.0 5 m), (Thermiston) was the optimum building material. While using a thickness > (0.0 5 m), the program specified a different group of building materials to form the optimal combination of building materials and thermal insulation materials.