IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v226y2018icp713-729.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Review of Transparent Insulation Material (TIM) for building energy saving and daylight comfort

Author

Listed:
  • Sun, Yanyi
  • Wilson, Robin
  • Wu, Yupeng

Abstract

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is a key strategy in responding to climate change and resource challenges associated with the use of fossil fuel derived energy. The characteristics of the building envelope play a decisive role in determining building operation energy. Transparent Insulation Materials (TIMs) add to the strategies that may be used to sustain these improvements: they can reduce heat loss by providing high thermal resistance while effectively transmitting solar energy and contributing to the luminous environment. In this review, key types of TIMs and their characterisation in terms of both thermal and optical behaviours are introduced as well as the benefits that may be realised through their application to buildings. Relatively few studies exist regarding the performance of window systems incorporating TIMs. To provide a clear picture of how to accurately predict the performance of TIM integrated window systems, this paper also explores the literature around window systems incorporating complex interstitial structures, as these share many of the same characteristics as TIMs. The experimental and numerical methods used to evaluate the thermal and optical characteristics of complex window systems are summarised and this body of research provides potential methods for tackling similar questions posed in relation to the performance of window systems with TIMs. Finally, this review introduces a method that permits the prediction of the combined thermal and daylight behaviour of spaces served by TIM integrated window systems. The results from using this methodology show that using TIMs over a conventional window system offers a range of benefits to the occupants of buildings. Thus, this review offers a workflow that may be used to assess and analyse the benefit of applying TIMs for building energy saving and daylight comfort in buildings subjected to varying climate conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sun, Yanyi & Wilson, Robin & Wu, Yupeng, 2018. "A Review of Transparent Insulation Material (TIM) for building energy saving and daylight comfort," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 713-729.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:226:y:2018:i:c:p:713-729
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.094
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918308110
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.094?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gao, Tao & Jelle, Bjørn Petter & Ihara, Takeshi & Gustavsen, Arild, 2014. "Insulating glazing units with silica aerogel granules: The impact of particle size," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 27-34.
    2. Buratti, C. & Moretti, E., 2012. "Experimental performance evaluation of aerogel glazing systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 430-437.
    3. Sun, Yanyi & Liang, Runqi & Wu, Yupeng & Wilson, Robin & Rutherford, Peter, 2017. "Development of a comprehensive method to analyse glazing systems with Parallel Slat Transparent Insulation material (PS-TIM)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 951-963.
    4. Pan, Wei & Garmston, Helen, 2012. "Compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 11-22.
    5. Harish, V.S.K.V. & Kumar, Arun, 2016. "A review on modeling and simulation of building energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1272-1292.
    6. Berardi, Umberto, 2015. "The development of a monolithic aerogel glazed window for an energy retrofitting project," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 603-615.
    7. Ihara, Takeshi & Gustavsen, Arild & Jelle, Bjørn Petter, 2015. "Effect of facade components on energy efficiency in office buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 422-432.
    8. Kaushika, N.D. & Padmapriya, R. & Arulanantham, M. & Sharma, P.K., 1994. "Transparent insulation characteristics of honeycomb and slat arrays," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(10), pages 1037-1041.
    9. Kaushika, N. D. & Sumathy, K., 2003. "Solar transparent insulation materials: a review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 317-351, August.
    10. Lei, Jiawei & Yang, Jinglei & Yang, En-Hua, 2016. "Energy performance of building envelopes integrated with phase change materials for cooling load reduction in tropical Singapore," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 207-217.
    11. Sun, Yanyi & Wu, Yupeng & Wilson, Robin, 2018. "A review of thermal and optical characterisation of complex window systems and their building performance prediction," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 729-747.
    12. Karen Connelly & Yupeng Wu & Xiaoyu Ma & Yu Lei, 2017. "Transmittance and Reflectance Studies of Thermotropic Material for a Novel Building Integrated Concentrating Photovoltaic (BICPV) ‘Smart Window’ System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-13, November.
    13. Peng, Jinqing & Lu, Lin & Yang, Hongxing & Ma, Tao, 2015. "Validation of the Sandia model with indoor and outdoor measurements for semi-transparent amorphous silicon PV modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 316-323.
    14. Connelly, Karen & Wu, Yupeng & Chen, Jun & Lei, Yu, 2016. "Design and development of a reflective membrane for a novel Building Integrated Concentrating Photovoltaic (BICPV) ‘Smart Window’ system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 331-339.
    15. Cuce, Erdem & Cuce, Pinar Mert & Wood, Christopher J. & Riffat, Saffa B., 2014. "Toward aerogel based thermal superinsulation in buildings: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 273-299.
    16. Huang, Yu & Niu, Jian-lei & Chung, Tse-ming, 2014. "Comprehensive analysis on thermal and daylighting performance of glazing and shading designs on office building envelope in cooling-dominant climates," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 215-228.
    17. Buratti, C. & Moretti, E., 2012. "Glazing systems with silica aerogel for energy savings in buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 396-403.
    18. Baldinelli, G. & Bianchi, F., 2014. "Windows thermal resistance: Infrared thermography aided comparative analysis among finite volumes simulations and experimental methods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 250-258.
    19. Yupeng Wu & Guohui Gan & Raquel Garcia Gonzalez & Anne Verhoef & Pier Luigi Vidale, 2011. "Prediction of the thermal performance of horizontal-coupled ground-source heat exchangers," International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 261-269, June.
    20. Lin, Yu-Hao & Tsai, Kang-Ting & Lin, Min-Der & Yang, Ming-Der, 2016. "Design optimization of office building envelope configurations for energy conservation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 336-346.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhao, Xinpeng & Mofid, Sohrab Alex & Jelle, Bjørn Petter & Tan, Gang & Yin, Xiaobo & Yang, Ronggui, 2020. "Optically-switchable thermally-insulating VO2-aerogel hybrid film for window retrofits," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    2. Sun, Yanyi & Liu, Xin & Ming, Yang & Liu, Xiao & Mahon, Daniel & Wilson, Robin & Liu, Hao & Eames, Philip & Wu, Yupeng, 2021. "Energy and daylight performance of a smart window: Window integrated with thermotropic parallel slat-transparent insulation material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    3. Yang, Xinpeng & Li, Dong & Yang, Ruitong & Ma, Yuxin & Duan, Yanjiao & Zhang, Chengjun & Hu, Wanyu & Arıcı, Müslüm, 2023. "Parameter global optimization and climatic adaptability analysis of PCM glazed system for long-term application," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    4. Wang, Pengcheng & Liu, Zhongbing & Zhang, Ling & Wang, Zhe & Fan, Jianhua, 2023. "Inversion of extinction coefficient and refractive index of variable transparency solid–solid phase change material based on a hybrid model under real climatic conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    5. Jadwiga Świrska-Perkowska & Zbigniew Perkowski, 2021. "Selection of Parameters for Accumulating Layer of Solar Walls with Transparent Insulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-55, February.
    6. Lou, Siwei & Li, Danny.H.W. & Chen, Wenqiang, 2019. "Identifying overcast, partly cloudy and clear skies by illuminance fluctuations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 198-211.
    7. Jing Zhao & Yahui Du, 2019. "A Study on Energy-Saving Technologies Optimization towards Nearly Zero Energy Educational Buildings in Four Major Climatic Regions of China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-31, December.
    8. Pathomthat Chiradeja & Atthapol Ngaopitakkul, 2019. "Energy and Economic Analysis of Tropical Building Envelope Material in Compliance with Thailand’s Building Energy Code," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-23, December.
    9. Belen Moreno Santamaria & Fernando del Ama Gonzalo & Danielle Pinette & Roberto-Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano & Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria & Juan A. Hernandez Ramos, 2020. "Application and Validation of a Dynamic Energy Simulation Tool: A Case Study with Water Flow Glazing Envelope," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, June.
    10. Xu, Bin & Fei, Yue & Chen, Xing-ni & Xie, Xing & Pei, Gang, 2024. "Influence of selective infrared emissivity design on the radiative cooling effect of windows: Laws exploration based on transient analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    11. Kumar, Dileep & Alam, Morshed & Zou, Patrick X.W. & Sanjayan, Jay G. & Memon, Rizwan Ahmed, 2020. "Comparative analysis of building insulation material properties and performance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    12. Agustín Torres Rodríguez & David Morillón Gálvez & Iván García Kerdan & Rodolfo Silva Casarín, 2023. "A Comparison of a Transparent Thermal Insulation System Filled with Refrigerants and a Pig-Fat Based PCM," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-28, April.
    13. Tewari, Kirti & Dev, Rahul, 2019. "Exergy, environmental and economic analysis of modified domestic solar water heater with glass-to-glass PV module," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 1130-1150.
    14. Jadwiga Świrska-Perkowska & Andrzej Kucharczyk & Jerzy Wyrwał, 2020. "Energy Efficiency of a Solar Wall with Transparent Insulation in Polish Climatic Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-21, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paulos, Jason & Berardi, Umberto, 2020. "Optimizing the thermal performance of window frames through aerogel-enhancements," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    2. Flor, Jan-Frederik & Liu, Dingming & Sun, Yanyi & Beccarelli, Paolo & Chilton, John & Wu, Yupeng, 2018. "Optical aspects and energy performance of switchable ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) foil cushions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 335-351.
    3. Sun, Yanyi & Liang, Runqi & Wu, Yupeng & Wilson, Robin & Rutherford, Peter, 2017. "Development of a comprehensive method to analyse glazing systems with Parallel Slat Transparent Insulation material (PS-TIM)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 951-963.
    4. Abdul Mujeebu, Muhammad & Ashraf, Noman & Alsuwayigh, Abdulkarim H., 2016. "Effect of nano vacuum insulation panel and nanogel glazing on the energy performance of office building," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 141-151.
    5. Kumar, Dileep & Alam, Morshed & Zou, Patrick X.W. & Sanjayan, Jay G. & Memon, Rizwan Ahmed, 2020. "Comparative analysis of building insulation material properties and performance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    6. Ghosh, Aritra & Norton, Brian, 2018. "Advances in switchable and highly insulating autonomous (self-powered) glazing systems for adaptive low energy buildings," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 1003-1031.
    7. Zhou, Yuekuan & Zheng, Siqian, 2020. "Climate adaptive optimal design of an aerogel glazing system with the integration of a heuristic teaching-learning-based algorithm in machine learning-based optimization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 375-391.
    8. Berardi, Umberto & Nosrati, Roya Hamideh, 2018. "Long-term thermal conductivity of aerogel-enhanced insulating materials under different laboratory aging conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1188-1202.
    9. Ihara, Takeshi & Gao, Tao & Grynning, Steinar & Jelle, Bjørn Petter & Gustavsen, Arild, 2015. "Aerogel granulate glazing facades and their application potential from an energy saving perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 179-191.
    10. Ibrahim, Mohamad & Biwole, Pascal Henry & Achard, Patrick & Wurtz, Etienne & Ansart, Guillaume, 2015. "Building envelope with a new aerogel-based insulating rendering: Experimental and numerical study, cost analysis, and thickness optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 490-501.
    11. Berardi, Umberto, 2015. "The development of a monolithic aerogel glazed window for an energy retrofitting project," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 603-615.
    12. Chen, Youming & Xiao, Yaling & Zheng, Siqian & Liu, Yang & Li, Yupeng, 2018. "Dynamic heat transfer model and applicability evaluation of aerogel glazing system in various climates of China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 1115-1124.
    13. Cinzia Buratti & Elisa Moretti & Elisa Belloni & Fabrizio Agosti, 2014. "Development of Innovative Aerogel Based Plasters: Preliminary Thermal and Acoustic Performance Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-14, September.
    14. Mary K. Carroll & Ann M. Anderson & Sri Teja Mangu & Zineb Hajjaj & Margeaux Capron, 2022. "Aesthetic Aerogel Window Design for Sustainable Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, March.
    15. Zhou, Yuekuan & Zheng, Siqian, 2020. "Uncertainty study on thermal and energy performances of a deterministic parameters based optimal aerogel glazing system using machine-learning method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    16. Baldinelli, G. & Bianchi, F., 2014. "Windows thermal resistance: Infrared thermography aided comparative analysis among finite volumes simulations and experimental methods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 250-258.
    17. Cuce, Erdem & Cuce, Pinar Mert & Young, Chin-Huai, 2016. "Energy saving potential of heat insulation solar glass: Key results from laboratory and in-situ testing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 369-380.
    18. Zhou, Yuekuan & Zheng, Siqian, 2020. "Stochastic uncertainty-based optimisation on an aerogel glazing building in China using supervised learning surrogate model and a heuristic optimisation algorithm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 810-826.
    19. Kong, Yong & Shen, Xiaodong & Cui, Sheng & Fan, Maohong, 2015. "Development of monolithic adsorbent via polymeric sol–gel process for low-concentration CO2 capture," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 308-317.
    20. Sun, Yanyi & Shanks, Katie & Baig, Hasan & Zhang, Wei & Hao, Xia & Li, Yongxue & He, Bo & Wilson, Robin & Liu, Hao & Sundaram, Senthilarasu & Zhang, Jingquan & Xie, Lingzhi & Mallick, Tapas & Wu, Yupe, 2018. "Integrated semi-transparent cadmium telluride photovoltaic glazing into windows: Energy and daylight performance for different architecture designs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 972-984.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:226:y:2018:i:c:p:713-729. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.