- Author
- Mukhopadhyaya, P.
- Title
- High-Performance Insulation Materials.
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Journal
- Solplan Review, No. 118, 16-17, September 2004
- Report
- NRCC-47618,
- Keywords
- insulation | insulating materials | building energy | thermal insulation
- Identifiers
- vacuum insulation panels (VIPs); thermal resistivity of VIPs compared to common insulating materials; schematic representation of a vacuum insulation panel
- Abstract
- The space heating and cooling of buildings consumes a substantial amount of energy. Over the past thirty years, big improvements have been made to reduce building energy use, but further improvements are possible and necessary. Some high-performance thermal insulation materials can be up to ten times more efficient than materials currently in use. Researchers at NRC's Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) have been working with European partners to advance the technology of new generation insulation materials for building applications. Micro- and nano- porous materials, vacuum technology and special gas-filled porous structures are all viable solutions. This article explains the characteristics of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and presents some preliminary results of IRC research on their thermal performance.