seminar on net zero energy building (nzeb)

Claude-Alain Roulet

claude.roulet@epfl.ch

Role of insulationand advanced products

SEMINAR ON NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDING (NZEB)

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 1

INDO-SWISS BUILDING ENERGY

EFFICIENCY PROJECT (BEEP)

• Pilot Integrated Design Process (IDP)

Charrettes

• Building Insulation Material Testing

• Design Guidelines for energy-efficient

residential buildings

• Knowledge Management Activities

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 2

2012-2016 project

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

5

Main insulating material in buildings is

Motionless air• Fibers or cell walls reduce or stop air

movement

• Fibers and cell walls are opaque (or even

reflective) to thermal radiation

• Ideally, only air conduction remains

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 20136

Insulating materials

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 20137

Caractéristics of

insulating materials

Insula

ting

pow

er

Density

Fire

résis

tance

Wate

r vapour

diffu

sio

n

Resis

tance

to w

ate

r

Com

pre

ssio

n s

trength

Tra

citon

str

enght

He

atre

sis

tan

ce

Absorp

tion

of

vib

ration

s

Absorb

tion

of

aerialnois

e

Costa

tgiv

en

insula

tion

Gra

yenerg

y

Light mineral wool + - - ++ - - 0 - - - - + ++ € - -

Dense mineral wool ++ + ++ - - 0 0 - ++ ++ + € 0

Hemp fiber 0 - - 0 - - - - 0 - - 0 ++ € - -

Wood fibers 0 ++ 0 - - - - + - - + + ++ €€ -

Wood straw -cement - ++ + - - - - + 0 + 0 + €€ -

Cellulose flakes + - - 0 - - - - - - - 0 ++ € - -

Cork 0 ++ + + - + 0 ++ + - €€ - -

Glass foam 0 + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ - - - €€€ 0

Cellular concrete - - ++ ++ - - ++ + ++ - - - €€€ 0

PUR ++ - 0 - 0 + + ++ - - - € ++

EPS + - - + + 0 + + 0 - - - €€€ -

Graphited EPS ++ - - + + 0 + + 0 - - - € -

XPS ++ 0 + ++ + + ++ 0 - - - € +

Silica aerogel +++ - - + - - ++ - - - + ++ - - €€€€ + +

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 20138

Vacuum insulation

Stands atmospherique pressure (10 t/m²)

Supportingmaterial

Airtightpackage

Getter, or dessiccant

Avoid air and other gases to enter in the material

Keeps the vacuum despite outgassing

9

Pressure and thermal

conductivity

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000

[mW

/(m

·K)]

Pressure [mBar]

Fibre verre

PSEx

PUR

Nanogel

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

10

Vacuum insulation

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

11www.mtsc.unt.edu/faculty/reidy/materials_synt© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

Silica nanogel

12

http://www.boingboing.net/200602061740.jpg

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 201313

Thin reflective thermal insulation

Beware of scammers!

Energy Efficiency and Comfort

• Indoor environment quality in buildings is

the first requirement.

• Switching off everything is not the

appropriate way to get Zero-Energy

Buildings!

• Therefore, the definition of comfort is the

base of the design.

• Comfort rules shall be adapted to local

habits and climate

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 14

What is comfort?

15© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

Thermal comfort models

19

21

23

25

27

29

31

5 10 15 20 25 30

Op

era

tive i

nd

oo

r te

mp

era

ture

Mean outdoor air temperature

EN 15215

ISO 7730

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 17

Agreed thermal comfort limits

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

Op

era

tive i

nd

oo

r te

mp

era

ture

48 h running mean outdoor air temperature© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 18

20

Adaptation to environment

• Adaptation to climate

– The building should be, with all systems off,

at least as comfortable as outdoors

• Special for NZEB

– Reduce needs

– Reduce energy needs as low as possible

– Thermal insulation may be one way to reduce

energy need for heating and cooling.

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

21

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013

22

23

Hot-dry

Warm-humid

Composite

Temperate

Cold

Climate zones in

India

National Building Code 2005, part 8, fig. 2

Simulations to check

consequences

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 24

Objective for “cold” climate:

avoiding heating

Outdoor air in Shrinagar Office room, not insulated

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 25

Insulation in “cold” climate

Office room, insulated Super-insulated

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 26

In warm-dry climate:

avoid cooling

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 201327

Insulated,

with passive cooling

Mumbai standard

ventilation strategy

In hot climate:

reduce cooling load

Isolated facadeNot insulated, heavy

facade,

361 kWh/m² 307 kWh/m²

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 29

Dynamic resistance

Outdoors

Indoors

Roof insulation

• Heavy deck with extrernal insulation about

5 cm thick.

• Shaded heavy deck or ventilated double

deck

• If lightweight: thick insulation (20 cm)

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 30

Conclusions:

• In cold climates, strong thermal insulation is

a prerequisite for NZEB.

• In temperate climates, no energy is needed

for heating or cooling, as long as a good

bioclimatic design is performed. This may

need thermal insulation.

• In warm climates, thermal insulation may

help in reducing the energy use for cooling,

but solar protections and air tightness have

as much influence.

© Claude-A. Roulet, Apples, 2013 31