Retrofitting of a listed brick and wood building using vacuum insulation panels on the exterior of the facade: Measurements and simulations

Many old listed buildings have an unsatisfactory thermal performance compared to the standards of today. The listing often limits the position and necessary thickness of an added insulation layer in the building envelope. Vacuum insulation panels (VIP) present unprecedented possibilities to reduce the required thickness of the insulation layer. The aim of this study is to explore the performance of VIP in the retrofitting of listed buildings. The goal is to improve the thermal transmittance and moisture performance of the wall and the thermal comfort for the occupants. Hygrothermal sensors were installed in the wall of a listed building insulated with VIP on the exterior. Sensors were also installed in a neighboring (non-retrofitted) wall as reference. Through a comparative analysis of the measured data it was concluded that the hygrothermal performance of the retrofitted wall was substantially better than of the reference wall. The measurement results were also compared to hygrothermal simulations to quantify the improvements in the thermal transmittance and moisture performance. A deviation was found between the measured and simulated relative humidity in the wall which was explained by vertical air leakage paths in the wall.

[1]  Pär Johansson.  Assessment of the Risk for Mold Growth in a Wall Retrofitted with Vacuum Insulation Panels , 2011 .

[2]  J. Fricke.  Materials research for the optimization of thermal insulations , 1993 .

[3]  Arild Gustavsen,et al.  Improving thermal insulation of timber frame walls by retrofitting with vacuum insulation panels – experimental and theoretical investigations , 2011 .

[4]  H. Simmler,et al.  In situ performance assessment of vacuum insulation panels in a flat roof construction , 2008 .

[5]  Samuel Brunner,et al.  Vacuum insulation panels for building application: Basic properties, aging mechanisms and service life , 2005 .

[6]  Martin Tenpierik,et al.  Analytical Models for Calculating Thermal Bridge Effects Caused by Thin High Barrier Envelopes around Vacuum Insulation Panels , 2007 .

[7]  S. Brunner,et al.  Effective thermal conductivity of a staggered double layer of vacuum insulation panels , 2011 .

[8]  Armin Binz,et al.  Vacuum Insulation in the Building Sector , 2005 .

[9]  P. Häupl,et al.  Interior Retrofit of Masonry Wall to Reduce Energy and Eliminate Moisture Damage : Comparison of Modeling and Field Performance , 1995 .

[10]  S. Brunner,et al.  Hints for an additional aging factor regarding the thermal performance of vacuum insulation panels with pyrogenic silica core , 2014 .

[11]  Érika Mata.  Energy efficiency and carbon dioxide mitigation in building stocks , 2011 .

[12]  K. Ghazi Wakili,et al.  Effective thermal conductivity of vacuum insulation panels , 2004 .

[13]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[14]  Hubert Schwab,et al.  Thermal Bridges in Vacuum-insulated Building Façades , 2005 .

[15]  Pär Johansson,et al.  Retrofitting of old Exterior Wall with Vacuum Insulation Panels: Measurements of Thermal Properties, Moisture Performance and Practical Considerations , 2012 .

[16]  J. Fricke,et al.  Vacuum insulation panels—From research to market , 2008 .

[17]  Torben Valdbjørn Rasmussen.  Retrofitting Listed Buildings: Measures, Savings and Requirements , 2011 .

[18]  S. Brunner.  Single and double layered vacuum insulation panels of the same thickness in comparison , 2012 .

[19]  M. Molnár,et al.  Energy efficient retrofitting of a 1950-ies multi-dwelling block house considering hygrothermal properties – field measurements and simulation , 2012 .

[20]  Martin Morelli,et al.  Energy retrofitting of a typical old Danish multi-family building to a “nearly-zero” energy building based on experiences from a test apartment , 2012 .

[21]  H. Künzel,et al.  Effect of interior and exterior insulation on the hygrothermal behaviour of exposed walls , 1998 .

[22]  C. Molander,et al.  Methods and Potentials to Reduce Peaks in Heating Power Demand - - in Residential Building , 2012 .