This paper addresses the effect of thermal bridgingdue to columns and beams on energy consumption andpeak load requirements of typical private residentialvillas in Kuwait. Although it is common practice toapply thermal insulation to walls and roofs, columnsand beams are often not considered. The local climatepattern coupled with uninsulated skeleton structure ofreinforced concrete that forms 27% of the external totalwall area can have a significant effect on the thermalresistance of the buildings envelope. Multi-dimensionalheat transfer method was implemented to assess themagnitude of this effect and then to incorporate this ina whole building energy simulation program to assessthe impact on the overall thermal performance of thebuildings considered. It was found that the thermalresistance of constructions can be reduced by 48% dueto uninsulated columns and beams. In addition, theaverage effect on the overall annual energyconsumption and peak load demand for Kuwaiti typevillas was found to be 1.8% and 2.3% respectively.
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