Thermal insulation in buildings is an important factor to achieving
thermal comfort for its occupants. Insulation reduces
unwanted heat loss or gain and can decrease the energy demands of
heating and cooling systems.
Cold climates[edit]
In cold conditions, the main aim is to reduce heat flow out of the building. The components of the building envelope - windows, doors, roofs, walls, and air infiltration barriers - are all important sources of heat loss;
[6][7] in an otherwise well insulated home, windows will then become an important source of heat transfer.
[8] The resistance to conducted heat loss for standard glazing corresponds to an
R-value of about 0.17W/m2/Ko
[9] (compared to 2-4W/m2/Ko for glasswool batts
[10]). Losses can be reduced by good
weatherisation, bulk insulation, and minimising the amount of non-insulative (particularly non-solar facing) glazing. Indoor thermal radiation can also be a disadvantage with spectrally selective (low-e,
low-emissivity) glazing. Some
insulated glazing systems can double to triple R values.
Hot climates[edit]
In hot conditions, the greatest source of heat energy is solar radiation.
[11] This can enter buildings directly through windows or it can heat the building shell to a higher temperature than the ambient, increasing the heat transfer through the building envelope.
[12][13] The Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient (SGHC)
[14] (a measure of solar heat transmittance) of standard single glazing can be around 78-85%.
[15] Solar gain can be reduced by adequate shading from the sun,
light coloured roofing, spectrally selective (heat-reflective) paints and coatings and various
types of insulation for the rest of the envelope.
Specially coated glazing can reduce SHGC to around 10%.
[9] Radiant barriers are highly effective for attic spaces in hot climates.
[16] In this application, they are much more effective in hot climates than cold climates. For downward heat flow, convection is weak and radiation dominates heat transfer across an air space. Radiant barriers must face an adequate air-gap to be effective.
If refrigerative air-conditioning is employed in a hot, humid climate, then it is particularly important to seal the building envelope. Dehumidification of humid air infiltration can waste significant energy. On the other hand, some building designs are based on effective cross-ventilation instead of refrigerative air-conditioning to provide convective cooling from prevailing breezes.