The Influence of Insulation Styles on the Building Energy Consumption and Indoor Thermal Comfort of Multi-Family Residences

Abstract

The properties of building envelopes significantly affect indoor building energy consumption, indoor thermal comfort, and building durability. In the current standards for Japanese residential energy efficiency, insulation placement is not well regulated. Meanwhile, it is common in Japan to use air-conditioning intermittently, rather than having the units operate continuously. Therefore, considering specific Japanese lifestyles, we investigated insulation performance. In this research, we: (1) developed the interior insulation to include insulation on walls, ceilings and floors of building units (all of the interior surfaces) to achieve building energy savings by avoiding heat loss through thermal bridges; (2) discussed and demonstrated the effects of high heat capacitance for each of the building components and the thermal bridge by conducting building environmental simulations; (3) conducted simulations in seven cities in Japan and discussed the applicability of these different weather conditions; and (4) compared temperature distributions to investigate differences in indoor comfort with partial heating on winter nights. We demonstrated the energy saving and thermal comfort advantages of interior insulation. This research provides an innovative insulation style based on Japanese lifestyles that contributes to new energy-saving standards and formulations.

Households’ adaptation in a warming climate. Air conditioning and thermal insulation choices

“…Airtightness and internal bulky-insulation may induce overheating rather than cooling in dwellings (Taylor et al 2016[69]), increasing health risks and energy demand for cooling. To be effective, thermal insulation should be installed choosing materials, thickness, and position according to construction settings (Bojic et al 2001[10]; Wang and Fukuda, 2019 [73]) and local climatic conditions (Aktacir et al 2010[3]). Performance may increase if TI is efficiently combined with other passive cooling options, such as high-performance windows and shading (Mirrahimi et al 2016[49]).…”

“…Performance may increase if TI is efficiently combined with other passive cooling options, such as high-performance windows and shading (Mirrahimi et al 2016[49]). Once adopted effectively, insulation generates both economic and environmental benefits, reducing initial and operating costs of AC (Aktacir et al 2010[3]), as well as the energy consumption for cooling (Bojic et al 2001[10]; Wang and Fukuda, 2019 [73]).…”

Thermal Comfort and Longwave Radiation over Time in Urban Residential Complexes

“…We therefore consider a cooling effect under conditions in which shortwave radiation is blocked: only longwave radiation exists in urban canyons. Thus, considering building energy efficiency as a sustainable way to increase thermal comfort [57], this study examines the relationship between shade-creating architectural components and trees and longwave radiation for thermal comfort. In-situ measurements were collected as follows:…”

A Review of Balcony Impacts on the Indoor Environmental Quality of Dwellings

“…However, even considering these benefits, the existing balconies in some residential buildings have considerable thermal bridges on balcony slabs, which can be highly harmful to the thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and energy consumption of dwellings [51,52]. In an attempt to minimize this constructive weakness, some studies propose the implementation of balcony thermal breaks [53][54][55] or the use of low thermal conductivity materials [51] to reduce these thermal bridges.…”