Building insulation

Summary

Building insulation is material used in a building (specifically the building envelope) to reduce the flow of thermal energy. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation (e.g. for vibrations caused by industrial applications). Often an insulation material will be chosen for its ability to perform several of these functions at once. Insulation is an important economic and environmental investment for buildings. By installing insulation, buildings use less energy for heating and cooling and occupants experience less thermal variability. Retrofitting buildings with further insulation is an important climate change mitigation tactic, especially when buildings are heated by oil, natural gas, or coal-based electricity. Local and national governments and utilities often have a mix of incentives and regulations to encourage insulation efforts on new

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_insulation

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (54)

Related publications

Related people (11)

Related people

Related units (6)

Related units

Related concepts (28)

Related concepts

Related courses (14)

Ce cours traite des divers domaines techniques intervenant dans la conception et la réalisation d'un bâtiment, soit : physique du bâtiment, structures, matériaux, construction et installations techniques; ceci dans une approche globale et transversale.

Technologie du Bâti V aborde le bâtiment comme un système d'opérations techniques et culturelles invoquant des choix liés à l'environnement, au matériau, à la structure, et au montage. L'objectif du cours est d'amener les étudiants à acquérir des compétences sur la conception critique du bâtiment.

Ce cours traite des divers domaines techniques intervenant dans la conception et la réalisation d'un bâtiment, soit: physique du bâtiment, structures et matériaux, construction et installations techniques; ceci dans une approche globale et transversale.

Related courses

Related lectures (38)

Related lectures

The project goal was to assess the viability of photovoltaic (PV) installations in two different existing buildings, both located in the city of Neuchâtel. The two studies buildings were built in 1938 and 1968. Before testing any PV installation, a renovation of the envelope were proposed in order to achieve a high level of energy performance. Indeed, the two buildings require a large amount of energy for heating due mainly to the low performance of the existing envelope. Different scenarios were tested considering the legal requirements in Switzerland (SIA norms). In addition, their cost-effectiveness was assessed. After the implementation of a passive renovation, improving the energy performance of the building envelope, a scenario integrating PV elements on roof and facades was assessed. Different configurations were tested, in order to improve the energy balance on the building taking into account the on-site energy production. Finally, a comparison of the results from both case studies was conducted.

2017

Effects of a Building Integrated Photovoltaic system on the thermal performances of a ventilated building envelope

2020

Effectiveness of passive climate change adaptation measures in Switzerland: A climate-based analysis on natural ventilation and overheating risks reduction in dwellings

Sergi Aguacil Moreno, Daniel Zepeda Rivas

Building energy codes have been implemented in Switzerland as well as across the world to reduce building energy consumption, however, due to the progressive effect of climate change phenomena and the precipitate change in occupancy patterns due to the global pandemic, their effectiveness and limitations must be constantly re-examined. This paper explores the effectiveness of natural ventilation as a passive cooling strategy, as well as the overheating patterns in dwellings across the Swiss territory. The work is based on a climate-based simulation model at a territorial scale, from which the building performance is further analysed considering the heating energy consumption and overheating risk hours above 26.5°C. The effectiveness of natural ventilation through the operable window operable area in reducing overheating risk was also estimated. The results show the effectiveness across the whole territory of the current regulation (SIA 380/1:2016), which is focused on the performance of the building envelope to reduce heat losses. An unattended alarming overheating pattern was spotted in locations with altitudes below 1500 meters as a direct consequence of the climate change phenomena, hence a series of recommendations are proposed to update and improve the current legal requirements.

2021