A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China
Abstract As the proportion of building energy consumption gradually increases, adding insulation materials to the existing building envelope has become an important method to improve building thermal performance. Currently, most research on the optimum thickness of insulation layers is calculated fr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93945-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850063528069693440 |
|---|---|
| author | Chengcheng Xu Suola Shao Wenjian Wei Yanluan Qin Nan Li |
| author_facet | Chengcheng Xu Suola Shao Wenjian Wei Yanluan Qin Nan Li |
| author_sort | Chengcheng Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As the proportion of building energy consumption gradually increases, adding insulation materials to the existing building envelope has become an important method to improve building thermal performance. Currently, most research on the optimum thickness of insulation layers is calculated from the perspective of heat transfer. However, in humid and hot areas, the influence of humidity and solar radiation should not be ignored. Therefore, this study used the coupled heat and moisture transfer model to calculate the yearly cooling and heating transmission loads. Three kinds of materials: expanded polystyrene, polyurethane and extruded polystyrene were compared in thickness ranging from 10 to 90 mm. The P1-P2 economic model consisting of lifecycle energy P1 and lifecycle expenditure ratio P2 was used to calculate the optimum thickness, payback periods and energy savings. The results show that, the optimum thicknesses for expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene are 66.8 to 74.5 mm, 38.3 to 40.2 mm, and 46.3 to 49.5 mm, respectively. The required payback periods are 5.57 to 5.72 years, 6.86 to 7.47 years, and 6.32 to 6.74 years, respectively. Expanded polystyrene is the most economical thermal insulation materials because of its lowest lifecycle total cost, the shortest payback period and the most energy savings. This study is helpful for obtaining more accurate optimum thickness of insulation layer in hot and humid areas, and guiding the renovation of existing buildings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76c457901a7044cab41897ba8629dbb7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-76c457901a7044cab41897ba8629dbb72025-08-20T02:49:34ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-93945-yA study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in ChinaChengcheng Xu0Suola Shao1Wenjian Wei2Yanluan Qin3Nan Li4College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric PowerSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech UniversityCollege of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric PowerCollege of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric PowerCollege of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric PowerAbstract As the proportion of building energy consumption gradually increases, adding insulation materials to the existing building envelope has become an important method to improve building thermal performance. Currently, most research on the optimum thickness of insulation layers is calculated from the perspective of heat transfer. However, in humid and hot areas, the influence of humidity and solar radiation should not be ignored. Therefore, this study used the coupled heat and moisture transfer model to calculate the yearly cooling and heating transmission loads. Three kinds of materials: expanded polystyrene, polyurethane and extruded polystyrene were compared in thickness ranging from 10 to 90 mm. The P1-P2 economic model consisting of lifecycle energy P1 and lifecycle expenditure ratio P2 was used to calculate the optimum thickness, payback periods and energy savings. The results show that, the optimum thicknesses for expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene are 66.8 to 74.5 mm, 38.3 to 40.2 mm, and 46.3 to 49.5 mm, respectively. The required payback periods are 5.57 to 5.72 years, 6.86 to 7.47 years, and 6.32 to 6.74 years, respectively. Expanded polystyrene is the most economical thermal insulation materials because of its lowest lifecycle total cost, the shortest payback period and the most energy savings. This study is helpful for obtaining more accurate optimum thickness of insulation layer in hot and humid areas, and guiding the renovation of existing buildings.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93945-yOptimum thicknessCoupled heat and moisture transferP1-P2 modelPayback periodEnergy savings |
| spellingShingle | Chengcheng Xu Suola Shao Wenjian Wei Yanluan Qin Nan Li A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China Scientific Reports Optimum thickness Coupled heat and moisture transfer P1-P2 model Payback period Energy savings |
| title | A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China |
| title_full | A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China |
| title_fullStr | A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China |
| title_short | A study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in China |
| title_sort | study on optimum insulation thickness of building walls in hot summer and warm winter zone in china |
| topic | Optimum thickness Coupled heat and moisture transfer P1-P2 model Payback period Energy savings |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93945-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chengchengxu astudyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT suolashao astudyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT wenjianwei astudyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT yanluanqin astudyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT nanli astudyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT chengchengxu studyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT suolashao studyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT wenjianwei studyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT yanluanqin studyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina AT nanli studyonoptimuminsulationthicknessofbuildingwallsinhotsummerandwarmwinterzoneinchina |