Heat vs Cold Protection/Insulation

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the comparative energy consumption and difficulty of heat protection versus cold protection in architectural design. An example involving a void cube insulated with a specific material illustrates the principles of heat transfer. The cube's internal temperature changes based on external conditions, demonstrating that heat transfer formulas apply equally regardless of direction. The conclusion emphasizes that the temperature difference dictates heat flow, confirming that the magnitude of heat transfer remains consistent whether heating or cooling.

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chienphong
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Hi, guys!

First of all, I am no physicist. I am an architect from Vietnam.

A few friends and I just had an discussion regarding heat and cold protection in general. Then came across a question of whether it is more difficult and energy consuming for heat protection or for cold protection, or is it the same. Let's take an example. We have a void cube (with air inside) of a certain peripheral insulation material. Let's say that we somehow adjust the inside temperature of the cube at 10 degrees Celsius and put the cube in a contant air (same type of air as in the cube) environment of 30 degrees Celsius and after 1 hour the temperature inside the cube is 15 degrees Celsius. The question is: if we adjust the inside temperature of the cube at 20 degrees Celsius and put the cube in a constant air (same type of air as in the cube) environment of 0 degree Celsius, what is the temperature inside the cube after 1 hour? Would it be 15 degress Celsius? or higher? or lower?

I would really appreciate the answer and full back up knowledge for that. Thanks a lot!
 
Last edited:
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It is the same in both directions. Formulas for heat transfer use the temperature difference. If the difference is negative, the heat flows in the other direction, but the magnitude is the same.
 

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