IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v167y2022ics1364032122006268.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Thermal insulation solutions for opaque envelope of low-energy buildings: A systematic review of methods and applications

Author

Listed:
  • Yang, Yang
  • Chen, Sarula

Abstract

It is crucial to develop thermal insulation solutions for opaque envelopes of low-energy buildings that match the global sustainable development vision. With the popularity of low-grade energy and renewable energy in the building sector, the opaque envelopes have been regarded as multifunctional elements (e.g., energy and structural aspects), providing a transition opportunity for the thermal insulation solutions from high to zero-carbon attributes. However, the current thermal insulation solutions for opaque envelopes focus more on the static type with constant thermal properties and the dynamic type with switchable thermal properties, which is the foundation of most existing reviews. For the burgeoning dynamic solutions relying on adjusting the core layer temperature inside the envelope and thus controlling the temperature difference forming the enclosure heat load, few people or research communities explicitly incorporate them into the technical framework of thermal insulation and raise their importance to the same level as static type solutions and the dynamic type solutions with switchable thermal properties, leading to the relevant research on this topic is still unstructured and fragmented. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the differences in concept and technical principles of various thermal insulation solutions for opaque envelopes through a unique classification method based on the formation principle of the enclosure heat load. Based on the proposed classification methodology, this paper reports a systematic review of the static type and dynamic type thermal insulation solutions in terms of characteristics, performance, application, and future pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Yang & Chen, Sarula, 2022. "Thermal insulation solutions for opaque envelope of low-energy buildings: A systematic review of methods and applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:167:y:2022:i:c:s1364032122006268
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2022.112738
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032122006268
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112738?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. 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).
    2. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Liu, Zhongbing & Wu, Jing & Zhang, Yelin & Wu, Zhenghong & He, Xihua, 2017. "Performance analysis of a self-adaptive building integrated photovoltaic thermoelectric wall system in hot summer and cold winter zone of China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 584-600.
    3. Zhang, Chong & Wang, Jinbo & Li, Liao & Gang, Wenjie, 2019. "Dynamic thermal performance and parametric analysis of a heat recovery building envelope based on air-permeable porous materials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    4. Ibrahim, Mohamad & Wurtz, Etienne & Biwole, Pascal Henry & Achard, Patrick, 2014. "Transferring the south solar energy to the north facade through embedded water pipes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 834-845.
    5. Romaní, Joaquim & Pérez, Gabriel & de Gracia, Alvaro, 2017. "Experimental evaluation of a heating radiant wall coupled to a ground source heat pump," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 520-529.
    6. Taylor, BJ & Imbabi, MS, 1998. "The application of dynamic insulation in buildings," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 377-382.
    7. Kimber, Mark & Clark, William W. & Schaefer, Laura, 2014. "Conceptual analysis and design of a partitioned multifunctional smart insulation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 310-319.
    8. Forrest Meggers & Luca Baldini & Hansjürg Leibundgut, 2012. "An Innovative Use of Renewable Ground Heat for Insulation in Low Exergy Building Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-18, August.
    9. Schmelas, Martin & Feldmann, Thomas & Bollin, Elmar, 2017. "Savings through the use of adaptive predictive control of thermo-active building systems (TABS): A case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 294-309.
    10. Yu, Yuebin & Niu, Fuxin & Guo, Heinz-Axel & Woradechjumroen, Denchai, 2016. "A thermo-activated wall for load reduction and supplementary cooling with free to low-cost thermal water," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 250-265.
    11. Schiavoni, S. & D׳Alessandro, F. & Bianchi, F. & Asdrubali, F., 2016. "Insulation materials for the building sector: A review and comparative analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 988-1011.
    12. Aditya, L. & Mahlia, T.M.I. & Rismanchi, B. & Ng, H.M. & Hasan, M.H. & Metselaar, H.S.C. & Muraza, Oki & Aditiya, H.B., 2017. "A review on insulation materials for energy conservation in buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1352-1365.
    13. Romaní, Joaquim & Cabeza, Luisa F. & Pérez, Gabriel & Pisello, Anna Laura & de Gracia, Alvaro, 2018. "Experimental testing of cooling internal loads with a radiant wall," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(PA), pages 1-8.
    14. Krzaczek, M. & Florczuk, J. & Tejchman, J., 2019. "Improved energy management technique in pipe-embedded wall heating/cooling system in residential buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    15. Zhang, Chong & Gang, Wenjie & Xu, Xinhua & Li, Liao & Wang, Jinbo, 2019. "Modelling, experimental test, and design of an active air permeable wall by utilizing the low-grade exhaust air," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 730-743.
    16. Imbabi, Mohammed Salah-Eldin, 2006. "Modular breathing panels for energy efficient, healthy building construction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 729-738.
    17. Irshad, Kashif & Habib, Khairul & Thirumalaiswamy, Nagarajan & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2015. "Performance analysis of a thermoelectric air duct system for energy-efficient buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1009-1017.
    18. Prieto, Alejandro & Knaack, Ulrich & Auer, Thomas & Klein, Tillmann, 2019. "COOLFACADE: State-of-the-art review and evaluation of solar cooling technologies on their potential for façade integration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 395-414.
    19. Liu, Chang & Zhang, Zhigang, 2019. "Thermal response of wall implanted with heat pipes: Experimental analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1687-1697.
    20. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Bozlar, Michael & Liu, Zhongbing & Guo, Hongshan & Meggers, Forrest, 2019. "Active building envelope systems toward renewable and sustainable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 470-491.
    21. Kalnæs, Simen Edsjø & Jelle, Bjørn Petter, 2014. "Vacuum insulation panel products: A state-of-the-art review and future research pathways," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 355-375.
    22. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Liu, Zhongbing & Wang, Yingzi & Meng, Fangfang & Wu, Jing, 2016. "Thermal performance evaluation of an active building integrated photovoltaic thermoelectric wall system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 25-39.
    23. Romaní, Joaquim & Belusko, Martin & Alemu, Alemu & Cabeza, Luisa F. & de Gracia, Alvaro & Bruno, Frank, 2018. "Optimization of deterministic controls for a cooling radiant wall coupled to a PV array," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 1103-1110.
    24. Irshad, Kashif & Habib, Khairul & Basrawi, Firdaus & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2017. "Study of a thermoelectric air duct system assisted by photovoltaic wall for space cooling in tropical climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 504-522.
    25. Gonçalves, Márcio & Simões, Nuno & Serra, Catarina & Flores-Colen, Inês, 2020. "A review of the challenges posed by the use of vacuum panels in external insulation finishing systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    26. Su, Xiaosong & Zhang, Ling & Liu, Zhongbing & Luo, Yongqiang & Chen, Dapeng & Li, Weijiao, 2021. "Performance evaluation of a novel building envelope integrated with thermoelectric cooler and radiative sky cooler," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1061-1078.
    27. Moretti, Elisa & Belloni, Elisa & Agosti, Fabrizio, 2016. "Innovative mineral fiber insulation panels for buildings: Thermal and acoustic characterization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 421-432.
    28. Fang, Xiande & Xia, Lulu, 2010. "Heating performance investigation of a bidirectional partition fluid thermal diode," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 679-684.
    29. Lee, Sau Wai & Lim, Chin Haw & Salleh, Elias @ Ilias Bin, 2016. "Reflective thermal insulation systems in building: A review on radiant barrier and reflective insulation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 643-661.
    30. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Liu, Zhongbing & Wu, Jing & Zhang, Yelin & Wu, Zhenghong, 2018. "Numerical evaluation on energy saving potential of a solar photovoltaic thermoelectric radiant wall system in cooling dominant climates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 384-399.
    31. Romaní, Joaquim & Belusko, Martin & Alemu, Alemu & Cabeza, Luisa F. & de Gracia, Alvaro & Bruno, Frank, 2018. "Control concepts of a radiant wall working as thermal energy storage for peak load shifting of a heat pump coupled to a PV array," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 489-501.
    32. Lydon, G.P. & Hofer, J. & Svetozarevic, B. & Nagy, Z. & Schlueter, A., 2017. "Coupling energy systems with lightweight structures for a net plus energy building," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 310-326.
    33. Ma, Peizheng & Wang, Lin-Shu & Guo, Nianhua, 2015. "Energy storage and heat extraction – From thermally activated building systems (TABS) to thermally homeostatic buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 677-685.
    34. Niu, Fuxin & Yu, Yuebin, 2016. "Location and optimization analysis of capillary tube network embedded in active tuning building wall," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 36-45.
    35. Yan, Tian & Xu, Xinhua & Gao, Jiajia & Luo, Yongqiang & Yu, Jinghua, 2020. "Performance evaluation of a PCM-embedded wall integrated with a nocturnal sky radiator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    36. Nagaoka, Akira & Ota, Yasuyuki & Sakai, Kentaro & Araki, Kenji & Matsuo, Hideki & Kadota, Naoki & Maeda, Kengo & Nakajima, Akihiko & Nishioka, Kensuke, 2021. "Performance evaluation and spectrum-based analysis of a wall-mounted photovoltaic system for zero-energy building," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 147-156.
    37. Loonen, R.C.G.M. & Trčka, M. & Cóstola, D. & Hensen, J.L.M., 2013. "Climate adaptive building shells: State-of-the-art and future challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 483-493.
    38. Maerefat, M. & Haghighi, A.P., 2010. "Natural cooling of stand-alone houses using solar chimney and evaporative cooling cavity," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2040-2052.
    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, Hengxin & Wu, Yifan & Sun, Hongli & Lin, Borong & Zhong, Minlin & Jiang, Guochen & Wu, Shuangdui, 2023. "A novel building envelope combined with jumping-droplet thermal diode: From theory to practice," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    2. Yang, Yang & Chen, Sarula & Zhang, Jiqiang, 2023. "A comprehensive study on transient thermal behaviors and performances of the modular pipe-embedded energy wall system under intermittent operation conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    3. Xu, Fusuo & Zhang, Jianshun & Gao, Zhi, 2024. "A case study of the effect of building surface cool and super cool materials on residential neighbourhood energy consumption in Nanjing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).

    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. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Bozlar, Michael & Liu, Zhongbing & Guo, Hongshan & Meggers, Forrest, 2019. "Active building envelope systems toward renewable and sustainable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 470-491.
    2. Hawks, M.A. & Cho, S., 2024. "Review and analysis of current solutions and trends for zero energy building (ZEB) thermal systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    3. Andrés Villarruel-Jaramillo & Manuel Pérez-García & José M. Cardemil & Rodrigo A. Escobar, 2021. "Review of Polygeneration Schemes with Solar Cooling Technologies and Potential Industrial Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-30, October.
    4. Luo, Yongqiang & Zhang, Ling & Liu, Zhongbing & Yu, Jinghua & Xu, Xinhua & Su, Xiaosong, 2020. "Towards net zero energy building: The application potential and adaptability of photovoltaic-thermoelectric-battery wall system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    5. Emmanouil Katsigiannis & Petros Antonios Gerogiannis & Ioannis Atsonios & Ioannis Mandilaras & Maria Founti, 2023. "Design and Parametric Analysis of a Solar-Driven Façade Active Layer System for Dynamic Insulation and Radiant Heating: A Renovation Solution for Residential Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Karanafti, Aikaterina & Theodosiou, Theodoros & Tsikaloudaki, Katerina, 2022. "Assessment of buildings’ dynamic thermal insulation technologies-A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    7. Božiček, D. & Peterková, J. & Zach, J. & Košir, M., 2024. "Vacuum insulation panels: An overview of research literature with an emphasis on environmental and economic studies for building applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).
    8. Cai, Yang & Wang, Wei-Wei & Liu, Cheng-Wei & Ding, Wen-Tao & Liu, Di & Zhao, Fu-Yun, 2020. "Performance evaluation of a thermoelectric ventilation system driven by the concentrated photovoltaic thermoelectric generators for green building operations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 1565-1583.
    9. 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).
    10. Zuazua-Ros, Amaia & Martín-Gómez, César & Ibañez-Puy, Elia & Vidaurre-Arbizu, Marina & Gelbstein, Yaniv, 2019. "Investigation of the thermoelectric potential for heating, cooling and ventilation in buildings: Characterization options and applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 229-239.
    11. Prieto, Alejandro & Knaack, Ulrich & Auer, Thomas & Klein, Tillmann, 2019. "COOLFACADE: State-of-the-art review and evaluation of solar cooling technologies on their potential for façade integration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 395-414.
    12. Zhao, Dongliang & Yin, Xiaobo & Xu, Jingtao & Tan, Gang & Yang, Ronggui, 2020. "Radiative sky cooling-assisted thermoelectric cooling system for building applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    13. Villasmil, Willy & Fischer, Ludger J. & Worlitschek, Jörg, 2019. "A review and evaluation of thermal insulation materials and methods for thermal energy storage systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 71-84.
    14. Ibáñez-Puy, Elia & Martín-Gómez, César & Bermejo-Busto, Javier & Zuazua-Ros, Amaia, 2018. "Thermal and energy performance assessment of a thermoelectric heat pump integrated in an adiabatic box," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 681-688.
    15. Zhang, Chong & Wang, Jinbo & Li, Liao & Gang, Wenjie, 2019. "Dynamic thermal performance and parametric analysis of a heat recovery building envelope based on air-permeable porous materials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    16. De Masi, Rosa Francesca & Ruggiero, Silvia & Vanoli, Giuseppe Peter, 2020. "Multi-layered wall with vacuum insulation panels: Results of 5-years in-field monitoring and numerical analysis of aging effect on building consumptions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    17. Gonçalves, Márcio & Simões, Nuno & Serra, Catarina & Flores-Colen, Inês, 2020. "A review of the challenges posed by the use of vacuum panels in external insulation finishing systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    18. Elaouzy, Y. & El Fadar, A., 2022. "Energy, economic and environmental benefits of integrating passive design strategies into buildings: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    19. Kishore, Ravi Anant & Bianchi, Marcus V.A. & Booten, Chuck & Vidal, Judith & Jackson, Roderick, 2021. "Enhancing building energy performance by effectively using phase change material and dynamic insulation in walls," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    20. María M. Villar-Ramos & Iván Hernández-Pérez & Karla M. Aguilar-Castro & Ivett Zavala-Guillén & Edgar V. Macias-Melo & Irving Hernández-López & Juan Serrano-Arellano, 2022. "A Review of Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) as an Alternative for Improving the Indoor Environment of Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-31, August.

    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:rensus:v:167:y:2022:i:c:s1364032122006268. 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/600126/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.