TITLE:
Comparative Analysis of Energy Performance for Residential Wall Systems with Conventional and Innovative Insulation Materials: A Case Study
AUTHORS:
Xinrui Lu, Ali Memari
KEYWORDS:
Insulation Materials, Building Envelope, Energy Performance, BEopt Modeling
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.9 No.3,
September
13,
2019
ABSTRACT: This study was focused on the simulation of energy
performance for residential buildings incorporating different types of
insulation materials. The energy consumption of residential buildings in the U.S.
plays a significant role in the total annual energy consumption, and using
insulation materials of higher performances is one of the most effective ways
to reduce the building energy consumption. In this study, the building energy simulation was
performed in BEopt for a typical
residential house in the U.S. with several different types of insulation
materials. The results show that adding insulation materials can significantly
improve the building energy performance.
The polyisocyanurate performed the best among the conventional insulation
materials and had an annualized source energy saving of 37% in Pittsburgh.
Vacuum-Insulated Panels had the best performance among all types of materials
discussed in this study and showed annualized source
energy of 41% in Pittsburgh. Phase Change Material was found to be the most
effective way to particularly reduce the cooling
energy use.