Abstract

High thermal resistance building envelopes comprising wood fibre insulation board (WFIB) contribute to a reduction in building energy consumption associated with unwanted heat losses and gains. The longterm performance and durability of the WFIB material may perform differently than expected due to the temperature and moisture dependent material characteristics, including moisture sorption, vapour permeance, and thermal conductivity. This research investigated the characterization of hygrothermal properties of WFIB at temperatures and relative humidities expected for a Canadian climate. The hygrothermal characteristics of WFIB were determined to have a range of values as a result of the variable nature of wood fibre materials with temperature and moisture, and the variability of WFIB materials amongst manufactured products. The variabilities of these hygrothermal properties are expected to impact the materials overall moisture storage at various in-situ temperature and relative humidity conditions, and the materials ability to transport moisture at various in-situ temperature and relative humidity conditions. Additionally, the thermal performance of WFIB is expected to vary with in-situ temperature and relative humidity conditions, with increased thermal losses/gains with increasing temperature and increasing relative humidities.

Highlights

  • Buildings account for approximately 28% of Canadas energy consumption (2015), with residential buildings and commercial/institutional buildings comprising 17% and 11%, respectively (Natural Resources Canada, 2017)

  • Understanding the material characteristics of thermal insulations in building envelopes is important for ensuring the longevity and performance of the control layer materials and the enclosure as a multi-layer composite assembly

  • The variation in density within a product and amongst products does not correlate with a particular density, density range, or material thickness

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Summary

Introduction

Buildings account for approximately 28% of Canadas energy consumption (2015), with residential buildings and commercial/institutional buildings comprising 17% and 11%, respectively (Natural Resources Canada, 2017). Residential buildings account for approximately 13% of Canadas greenhouse gas emissions (2015) (National Resources Canada, 2017). Concerns regarding energy use and climate change have led to an increase in the efficiency of buildings through the implementation of high thermally resistant and air tight building materials, as a result of both consumer demand and building energy requirement changes from government. Changes in building energy requirements from a municipal, provincial, and national level have been introduced in an effort to reduce building energy consumption, associated with space heating energy demand. The National Energy Code for Buildings 2015 introduced maximum thermal transmittance values, and minimum thermal resistance values, for building envelopes categorized by the number of heating degree days. Highly thermally resistant wall assemblies serve as a cost-effective solution for reducing building heating and cooling loads, as the material costs associated with additional thermal insulation have become increasingly economical due to escalating energy costs

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