Building Envelope

The Science Behind Insulation: In Cavities and Continuous

• 

  Marcus Bianchi

  Senior Building Science Program Lead
  Owens Corning
  Littleton, Colorado
• 

  Achilles Karagiozis

  Center Director
  National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  Knoxville, Tennessee

If you think you already know everything about heat transfer in insulation and that spec sheets tells you all about the thermal performance of insulation material, think again. The phenomena that take place in insulation is more complex and how manufacturers design insulation products to achieve its performance is key. In this session two building science experts with a half-century combined experience review how insulation works and explore how factors such as temperature, density, moisture, and air infiltration impact thermal performance. You will come away with an understanding on how fibrous, foam, and reflective insulation performs that you can immediately apply to your projects. Contrast between in-cavity and continuous insulation will be presented, contrasting durability, comfort, health, safety, and energy efficiency of different solutions.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the basic heat transfer principles applied to insulation
• Identify the heat transfer modes that take place in insulation and how they are relevant
• Understand the differences and similarities of in-cavity and continuous insulation