Abstract
Many buildings have considerable thermal bridges at the junction of balcony slabs with walls. To achieve the new EU directive targets related to energy efficiency, greater attention should be paid to such design details. This study analyzes the efficiency of traditional balcony slab modernization methods, the use of modern insulation materials and a new alternative system: an added self-supporting light balcony system (LKBD) in retrofitted large-panel buildings. The main objective was to capture cost-effective renovation methods from both the heat loss reduction perspectives and risk of surface condensation. The analyses, carried out in four buildings, have shown that at current costs, the thermal modernization of balconies is not economically efficient (SPBT > 98.4 years). However, it is necessary because leaving the balcony slabs without insulation or only insulating them from the bottom carries the risk of surface condensation. The most cost-effective renovation method is to insulate the balcony slabs from below and above with the thickest possible XPS layer (SPBT = 98.4 years; 107.4 years). Replacing XPS with modern material increases SPBT by almost 50%, for the LKBD system, SPBT = 269.2–281.5 years. More favorable energy and economic effects related to the reduction of balcony thermal bridges were achieved in the wall with lower insulation.
Highlights
One of the priorities of countries around the world is to increase the energy efficiency of the building sector
The simulation of the interventions on precast cantilever balconies using THERM allowed us to prove the advantages of using the light balcony system and modern insulation materials compared to other traditional solutions analyzed
It is shown that the application of modern insulation materials and new technical solutions in buildings can be very beneficial for utility reasons, even if the provided economic data does not seem to be very stimulating
Summary
One of the priorities of countries around the world is to increase the energy efficiency of the building sector. Policies and measures implemented by individual countries over the past 20 years have improved the efficiency of their building stock but were not adequate to outpace demand growth that was driven by strong floor area and population expansions. According to the Joint Research Centre Report [6], a large share of today’s EU building stock was built without any energy performance requirement. Since Europe’s building stock is heterogeneous, as emphasized in [5], certain technical solutions are specific to individual countries or regions. This is due to climate, environment, landscape, or economic and social structure
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
