Kingspan is a global leader in high-performance insulation and building solutions, with a strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. Kingspan publishes whitepapers that cover a wide range of topics related to energy efficiency, sustainability, and building performance. These whitepapers provide in-depth research, expert insights, and practical advice on how businesses, architects, and developers can improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
GreenA Consultant’s Involvement
GreenA was appointed as the sustainability consultant to develop an energy performance white paper, in which GreenA has conducted a third party assessment on the impact of thermal insulation on energy performance of buildings through computer simulation.
Background
The construction industry in Asia has yet to fully recognize or regulate the mandatory use of insulation in building envelopes, despite the growing need to transition to renewable energy sources to combat CO2 emissions and climate change. Countries like Singapore face significant challenges in meeting energy demands with renewable energy alone, highlighting the urgent need to improve building energy efficiency. HVAC cooling systems account for about 60% of a commercial building’s total energy consumption, and this “cooling energy” could be greatly reduced by enhancing building envelopes with insulation materials that minimize heat gain from the external environment. To demonstrate the benefits of insulation and support the shift towards net-zero carbon buildings, Kingspan commissioned GreenA Consultants to conduct energy modeling of an example building.
Methodology
GreenA created two energy models of the same building, with differing levels of thermal insulation in the building envelope to compare energy consumption over a 12-months period.
Energy Modeling Results
Comparison of total building energy consumption between the baseline building and insulated building over a 12-month period.
The insulated building (model 2) requires 6.3% less energy in total per annum than the uninsulated building (model 1). Is it just electricity or is it all energy
Carbon Emissions Reduction Results
Carbon emissions were computed for the two models based on statistics from the Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore. The annual CO2 emissions from the energy required for cooling for the insulated building (model 2) are 152.1 tCO2e lower than those for the uninsulated building (model 1).
