The State of the Art for Technologies Used to Decrease Demand in Buildings: Thermal Insulation

Abstract

Existing building stock in European countries accounts over 40 % of final energy consumption in the European Union (EU) member states, of which residential use represents 63 % (Hellenic Statistical Authority 2015) of total energy consumption in the building sector. Taking into consideration the significantly low rate of new construction and the implementation of the recasting of the Energy Performance Buildings Directive, the need for energy conservation measures in the existing building stock is of great importance. Consequently, the amelioration of a building’s energy performance can constitute an important instrument towards the alleviation of the EU energy import dependency and comply with the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Thermal insulation materials are the appropriate tool towards the mitigation of energy loss. There is a variety of materials based on their technical characteristics that fulfill the requirements of any construction; furthermore, there is great progress in innovative materials (thermo chromic, change face material, cooling). Moreover, the EU enacted legislation ensuring adequate quality for any construction. In this chapter we will investigate all available types of insulation materials, their technical parameters, and the best practices for the most well-known construction elements.