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Generally speaking, the larger the temperature difference
between the inside and the outside of a building, the thicker the
layer of insulation needs to be to reduce heat flow.
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The climate in Sweden is much colder than in most of Europe,
but the average energy consumption of their buildings is much
lower, mainly due to thicker insulation.
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:insulation is the key
The energy saving properties of insulation keep
buildings warm in winter and cool in summer.
The bigger the temperature difference between the inside and
outside of a building, the faster the building will lose heat in
winter and gain heat in summer. Insulation helps maintain a stable
inside temperature by slowing heat transfer by convection,
conduction and radiation. The thicker the insulation, the more
energy can be saved.
Insulation is critical across all sectors
Much of the energy consumed by space heating
in buildings is lost through their fabric. Insulation incorporated
into fabric can make a profound contribution to the building’s
long-term energy saving.
Increasingly, designers have the
responsibility of improving a building’s energy efficiency by
designing an envelope to achieve maximum thermal performance
according to building function. Different sectors have different
requirements - for example, balancing heat retention and cooling in
public and commercial buildings is often a key consideration,
whereas for residential buildings, higher insulation and heat
retention alone can have a direct impact on the carbon emissions
(and bills) associated with heating, and is the over-riding design
parameter.
