An investigation on the energy-saving potential of thermal insulating walls constructed with super thin vacuum insulated panels

Abstract

Using EnergyPlus software to simulate the energy consumption of residential buildings in Harbin, Beijing, Nanjing, Haikou, and Kunming under various conditions, this study investigated the energy-saving potential of thermal insulating walls constructed with Super Thin Panel (STP). It also examined the benefits and drawbacks of the heat transfer performance of the panels, as well as the potential and viability of using STP as insulation materials. The findings demonstrated that in Harbin, Beijing, and Nanjing, the overall energy consumption for heating, cooling, and air conditioning dropped as the thickness of the insulation layer increased. Haikou had no need for any heating energy, and cooling energy use reduced as insulation thickness grew. In Kunming, the total energy consumption for cooling and air conditioning increased as insulation layer thickness grew while the energy consumption for heating reduced as insulation layer thickness increased. According to the findings, when STP panels is utilized as a thermal insulation material, its thermal insulation effect is remarkable. Under the same thermal insulation effect, the thickness was substantially thinner than that of conventional thermal insulation material. STP implementation had the biggest impact in Harbin, followed by Beijing, and had little influence in Haikou and Kunming, where there was essentially no heating demand. This implies that the use of STP vacuum insulation panels in cold areas of China has a promising future.