Improving Envelope Thermal Insulation in Construction Projects Using Nanotechnology Applications

Abstract

Conservation of energy consumption in the construction industry is becoming more important than ever due to global issues related to the increased energy demand. Energy consumption in heating and cooling systemsfor commercial and residential buildings is a major portion of the overall energy consumption. One important approach to respond to this type of consumption is to enhance the thermal resistance (R value) of building envelopes with a special focus on the insulation materials. Nanotechnology as an emergent science and engineering field is developing solutions to enhance the resistance value of different building products withinnovative methodsincluding, reducing the pore size of insulation materials. This paper presents a review of utilization of nano-enabled products to improve insulation materials. The research involves exploring the literatures that cover area of technology application in addition to the commercial products currently being offered in the construction market. Findings indicate that the relatively high cost of the nano-products is due to lack of both mass production and familiarity of public to these products.