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efficiency_now:building_envelope

Structural measures for energy efficiency

On response of a few frequently asked points

  1. Yes, you can and may use thermal insulation on partial areas of building components/assemblies. In the case of exterior insulation, this never leads to problems. In the case of interior insulation the edges must then be tapered off in the form of insulation wedges. Specific suggestions have been provided in the detailed descriptions of the systems in each case, which are absolutely essential! 1)
  2. Does insulation really save energy? You can easily check this yourself. We have described how this can be done here: how to critically examine this question yourself - it's not difficult at all. (German only)
  3. Thermal insulation on the outside always improves the indoor climate besides protecting the building fabric (e.g. from moisture-related damage).
  4. The “embodied/grey energy” in the insulation material is often recouped already within the first year of using subsequent thermal protection measures.
  5. When implemented correctly (this is described in detail in the instructions), the measures will last many decades (exception: this is not certain in the case of window films; but these only cost very little in any case)
  6. There are a large number of different insulation materials; all those permitted in Germany are also acceptable from the ecological point of view, and save much more than they cost upfront (e.g. in terms of CO2).
  7. More and more insulation materials made from renewable raw materials and recycled materials are now available. They even have another advantage: they store carbon in the building which for this reason cannot be burnt2) .
  8. The insulation materials themselves are often very cost-effective materials. Costs are incurred mainly due to implementation, and due to things like sub-constructions or exterior cladding, setting up of scaffolding etc. That is why it is so important to do everything properly while you're at it 3) : the principle “If it's worth doing at all, then it's worth doing it well!” applies here, because a little more insulation material only costs little, but doing everything all over again would be really costly.
  9. Thermal insulation can only be effective if it is used properly. But that's not difficult at all; of course rain shouldn't be able to enter the insulation layer; if air can still get behind a layer of insulation then the insulation materials might as well be left out in the garden (as our colleague Pohl always says).

Measure for Building service

Here is the overview of Building services.

1)
Of course, the heat losses with this kind of partial insulation will be higher than calculated; the savings will be slightly lower, but some heat losses will always be saved. It is therefore recommended that the whole building should ultimately at least be improved part by part. Beginning with one section is always possible.
2)
It is helpful to keep in mind that almost all insulation materials consist of air mostly; e.g. cellulose flakes are 90% air, even EPS is more than 98% air. The rest of the material serves solely as packaging for the air.
3)
Above all this means: not too thin
efficiency_now/building_envelope.txt · Last modified: 2023/08/07 14:50 by yaling.hsiao@passiv.de