Energy consumption in intermittently heated residential buildings: Light Steel Framing vs hollow brick masonry constructive system

Abstract The hollow brick masonry and reinforced concrete construction is the most common and technically known constructive system in southern European countries. However, more industrialised alternatives have arisen, such as the Light Steel Framing (LSF). Nevertheless, an important research gap concerning the performance of this constructive system and its comparison with the brick masonry buildings was found. The shortage of available experimental data hinders the optimisation of these buildings towards high energy efficiency standards and indoor comfort. In this sense, the primary aim of this research is to assess the opportunities and limitations of each constructive system in terms of minimising energy consumption and providing a comfortable indoor environment during the heating season, considering an intermittent heating pattern. The novelty of the present work is the long-term experimental campaign involving the construction and monitoring of two identical test cells, differing only in the constructive system. The test cells are located in the Aveiro district (Portugal) and were monitored over an entire year. The results revealed a lower energy consumption of LSF test cell in every monitored month. On the other hand, this test cell is more responsive to the external weather stimulus and, therefore, more susceptible to the nocturnal temperature drop and overheating during warmer conditions. The present work intends to achieve a long-term value by providing the scientific community with original data within a research scope where this information is not abundant.