The main reason of solar air heater (SAHRR) that limits its application in drying of food and agricultural products is the unsteady nature of solar radiation. The variation in the intensity of solar radiation and off sunshine hours significantly degrades the performance of SAHRR. This paper focused on discussing the results of experimental investigations carried out on downward SAHRR with sensible energy storage (SES) medium. To understand the impact of SES mediums on the performance of SAHRR, the final outcomes are compared with the results of a conventional SAHRR of similar dimensions. Spherical pebbles of diameter 20 mm are the SES mediums used in the present study. Experimental evaluation is conducted for air mass flow rates (m), varying from 0.02 to 0.06 kg/s in steps of 0.01kg/s. It is observed that downward SAHRR with an integrated SES medium, can deliver air at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature by 2-9°C for 2 hours, once the solar simulator is turned off when the air flow rate is maintained at 0.01kg/s. SAHRR with SES medium can produce hot air at a temperature range of 41-53°C and can be used for applications like space heating and drying of food products. From the economic analysis conducted in the present study, it is found that the payback period of the SAHRR with SES medium is 55 months.