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Science Quiz - Physics - Heating and Insulating Buildings (AQA) (Questions)

Find out how homes lose heat, how insulation keeps them warmer for longer, and which heating controls help cut energy bills without leaving rooms cold.

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Fascinating Fact:

Programmers, thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves reduce waste by heating only when and where needed.

In GCSE Physics, you learn how energy moves from warm buildings to cooler surroundings. You also compare insulation and heating controls to see which give the best energy savings.

Key Terms

Thermal insulation: A material or method that slows down heat transfer between the inside and outside of a building.
U-value: A measure of how quickly energy passes through a material or wall, where a lower U-value means better insulation.
Payback time: The time it takes for energy bill savings to equal the cost of an energy-saving improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is insulation in GCSE Physics?

In GCSE Physics, insulation is any material or method that reduces heat transfer, such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing or thick curtains.

How can you reduce heat loss from a house for GCSE?

You can reduce heat loss by adding loft and cavity wall insulation, fitting double glazing, using draught excluders, and installing heating controls like timers and thermostats.

How do you work out payback time for insulation?

Payback time for insulation is calculated by dividing the cost of installation by the yearly money saved on energy bills due to reduced heat loss.

Try These Related Quizzes

1.

What are U-values?

[ ]	A measure of the thickness of an insulator
[ ]	A measure of the temperature of an insulator
[ ]	A measure of how fast heat can pass through an insulator
[ ]	A measure of the surface area of an insulator

2.

The best insulators have what sort of U-value?

[ ]	A low U-value
[ ]	A high U-value
[ ]	A constant U-value
[ ]	A variable U-value

3.

Which of the following is not a good reason for having solar hot water panels fitted?

[ ]	They do not release any gases into the air as they heat the water
[ ]	They reduce the bill for heating and hot water
[ ]	On cloudy days, the water is not very hot
[ ]	They work all year round

4.

How do solar hot water panels work?

[ ]	Heat radiation from the sun warms the water which is then pumped to a storage tank
[ ]	The light from the Sun is used to generate electricity that powers a water heater
[ ]	They absorb heat from the air
[ ]	They use heat escaping through the roof from inside the house to heat the water

5.

What is meant by payback time in the context of insulating a building?

[ ]	The time taken to pay off any loans that you needed
[ ]	How long it takes you to get your revenge on the builder after they have done a poor job
[ ]	How long it takes to get a grant from the government for the insulation work
[ ]	A measure of how cost-effective the insulation is

6.

If it costs £2,000 to insulate the walls and roof of a house, how long will the payback time be if it saves £250 per year?

[ ]	2 years
[ ]	4 years
[ ]	8 years
[ ]	16 years

7.

During the day, the Sun transfers energy to an outdoor swimming pool. The mass of water in the pool is 5,000 kg. The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg °C. How much energy needs to be supplied to increase the water temperature by 5^oC?

[ ]	105,000,000 J
[ ]	10.5 kJ
[ ]	21,000,000 J
[ ]	210 kJ

8.

At night, a storage heater transfers electrical energy into thermal energy which is stored. During the day, the heat is released to warm the room. Which of the following would store the most thermal energy per kg?

[ ]	Aluminium - specific heat capacity 913 J/kg^oC
[ ]	Water - specific heat capacity 4,200 J/kg^oC
[ ]	Oil - specific heat capacity 3,850 J/kg^oC
[ ]	Concrete - specific heat capacity 880 J/kg^oC

9.

To heat the water in a domestic hot water storage tank from 42°C to 50°C, an immersion heater transfers 4,536 kJ of energy to the water. How much water is in the tank? The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg^oC

[ ]	100 kg
[ ]	135 kg
[ ]	0.135 kg
[ ]	10 kg

10.

A homeowner has part of the outside brick wall of her house demolished and fits double-glazed glass doors in the gap. The U-value of the wall was 0.4 and the U-value of glass doors is 1.8. What does this mean?

[ ]	Her house is now better insulated
[ ]	She will save money on heating bills
[ ]	More heat will be lost from the house
[ ]	There will be no change to the amount of heat lost from the house

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Energy and heating - AQA

Science Quiz - Physics - Heating and Insulating Buildings (AQA) (Answers)

1.

What are U-values?

[ ]	A measure of the thickness of an insulator
[ ]	A measure of the temperature of an insulator
[x]	A measure of how fast heat can pass through an insulator
[ ]	A measure of the surface area of an insulator

No material is a perfect insulator - U-values tell you the rate at which heat energy can get through

2.

The best insulators have what sort of U-value?

[x]	A low U-value
[ ]	A high U-value
[ ]	A constant U-value
[ ]	A variable U-value

The U-value is a measure of how many watts can pass through one square metre of the material if there is a 1^oC temperature difference from one side to the other, so the best insulators have low U-values. A lower U-value means that fewer watts are getting through in any given period of time than would in a material with a higher U-value

3.

Which of the following is not a good reason for having solar hot water panels fitted?

[ ]	They do not release any gases into the air as they heat the water
[ ]	They reduce the bill for heating and hot water
[x]	On cloudy days, the water is not very hot
[ ]	They work all year round

On cloudy days the temperature of the water would need boosting using some other method of heating. There are other disadvantages too, for example the savings you make on your energy bills are quite small and, even on a small house, you need quite a large area of panels on a south facing roof to get sufficient hot water

4.

How do solar hot water panels work?

[x]	Heat radiation from the sun warms the water which is then pumped to a storage tank
[ ]	The light from the Sun is used to generate electricity that powers a water heater
[ ]	They absorb heat from the air
[ ]	They use heat escaping through the roof from inside the house to heat the water

Heat reaches the Earth from the Sun in the form of infrared radiation. The water heating tubes are coloured black as that is the best colour for absorbing infrared

5.

What is meant by payback time in the context of insulating a building?

[ ]	The time taken to pay off any loans that you needed
[ ]	How long it takes you to get your revenge on the builder after they have done a poor job
[ ]	How long it takes to get a grant from the government for the insulation work
[x]	A measure of how cost-effective the insulation is

Payback time (years) = cost of installation (£) ÷ savings per year in fuel costs (£). It works for any energy saving situation, for example swapping conventional lightbulbs with low energy bulbs or LED lighting. The shorter the payback time, the more cost-effective it will be

6.

If it costs £2,000 to insulate the walls and roof of a house, how long will the payback time be if it saves £250 per year?

[ ]	2 years
[ ]	4 years
[x]	8 years
[ ]	16 years

There are other considerations to take into account when insulating a building, such as improved comfort. It's not just about the money

7.

During the day, the Sun transfers energy to an outdoor swimming pool. The mass of water in the pool is 5,000 kg. The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg °C. How much energy needs to be supplied to increase the water temperature by 5^oC?

[x]	105,000,000 J
[ ]	10.5 kJ
[ ]	21,000,000 J
[ ]	210 kJ

The correct equation for this calculation is Energy = Mass x Specific heat capacity x Temperature change. In the exam you should have a data sheet with a list of equations but it is still a good idea to memorise as many of the equations as you can

8.

At night, a storage heater transfers electrical energy into thermal energy which is stored. During the day, the heat is released to warm the room. Which of the following would store the most thermal energy per kg?

[ ]	Aluminium - specific heat capacity 913 J/kg^oC
[x]	Water - specific heat capacity 4,200 J/kg^oC
[ ]	Oil - specific heat capacity 3,850 J/kg^oC
[ ]	Concrete - specific heat capacity 880 J/kg^oC

Of these materials only oil is actually used - this question is testing your understanding of specific heat capacity. In reality, storage heaters have a core of specially designed high density thermal blocks. These are heated by electric elements using cheap rate electricity during the night. These blocks are preferred instead of water or oil, even though they have a lower specific heat capacity. They are much more dense and can store more thermal energy without the risk of a leak. Oil storage heaters do not work as effectively as those fitted with the thermal blocks

9.

To heat the water in a domestic hot water storage tank from 42°C to 50°C, an immersion heater transfers 4,536 kJ of energy to the water. How much water is in the tank? The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg^oC

[ ]	100 kg
[x]	135 kg
[ ]	0.135 kg
[ ]	10 kg

You need to rearrange the specific heat equation to isolate the mass on the left hand side and remember to convert kJ to J

10.

A homeowner has part of the outside brick wall of her house demolished and fits double-glazed glass doors in the gap. The U-value of the wall was 0.4 and the U-value of glass doors is 1.8. What does this mean?

[ ]	Her house is now better insulated
[ ]	She will save money on heating bills
[x]	More heat will be lost from the house
[ ]	There will be no change to the amount of heat lost from the house

The higher U-value means that the new doors are less insulating than the original wall, so she will need to use more energy to keep the room as warm as it was before