Sensible heat

When heat energy is added to a substance, its temperature generally rises, and when heat energy is removed, its temperature generally falls. This is referred to as ‘sensible heat’. The term ‘specific heat’ refers to the heat energy per unit mass required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius.

This is as opposed to the situation when a substance changes state, such as from a solid to a liquid, a liquid to a gas or vice versa, which, whilst it requires the addition or removal of heat energy, does not result in a change in the temperature of the substance. This is referred to as ‘latent heat’.

The sensible cooling load of a space refers to the amount of heat that has to be removed from that space to maintain its dry bulb temperature when the worst case outdoor design temperature is being experienced.

The latent cooling load of a space refers to the amount of heat that has to be removed from that space to maintain its wet bulb temperature when the worst case outdoor design temperature is being experienced.

Thermal Comfort (TG 22/2023) published by BSRIA in 2023 states: ‘Sensible heat is heat we can sense, or heat which causes an increase in temperature. Latent heat is heat which causes an increase in moisture content only. Human beings produce a combination of sensible and latent heat.’

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Advanced phase change materials.
• Dry bulb temperature.
• g-value.
• Heat transfer.
• Latent heat.
• Mass transfer.
• Phase change materials.
• Phase change.
• Refrigeration.
• Specific heat.
• Temperature
• Thermal comfort.
• Thermal indices.
• Thermal mass.
• Thermal optical properties.
• U value.
• Wet bulb temperature.