Active thermal insulation as an element limiting heat loss through external walls

Abstract

The authors present the preliminary results and analyses of research performed in an experimental residential building located in the town of Nyiregyhaza in Hungary. The building is equipped with an innovative system for direct coupling a ground heat exchanger with a wall heat exchanger. In 2012, the creator of the system, Tamas Barkanyi, obtained patent for active thermal insulation of buildings. In this paper, the authors attempt to answer the question of to what extent the active insulation system can replace the commonly used standard passive insulation systems. The initial results of the research lead to the conclusion that active thermal insulation significantly improves the insulation parameters of the external wall. In the analyzed periods, the reduction of the total amount of heat loss through external walls was from 53% in February to 81% in November. The equivalent thermal transmittance Ueq of the analysed wall was dependent upon local climate conditions and amounted to 0.047 W/(m2K) in November and 0.11 W/(m2K) in March, while the standard transmittance value was 0.282 W/(m2K).The obtained positive research results should be the basis for the implementation of an innovative system in NZEB buildings.