Is it difficult to heat uninsulated brick load-bearing walls?
The insulating value of a fired clay brick (100 mm or 4 in.) is R 0.4*. A wall with five rows of brick thus has an insulating value of R 2. An air space between two rows of brick will add a value of R 1, for a total insulating value of R 3, which is very little compared to a wall in a new conventional home (R 19.3) or a new Novoclimat home (R 24.5). The exterior brick wall could, however, be less difficult to heat if it is facing south. It can then store up the heat of the sun thanks to its large thermal mass.
