Infrared reflective wall paint in buildings: Energy saving potentials and thermal comfort

Abstract

The reduction of the energy demand of existing buildings is the main objective of building refurbishment. Managing the heat radiation properties of the wall construction is a possible way to develop highly effective and resource efficient insulation materials and concepts. The application of infrared reflective wall paints and coatings has been studied since the latter half of the 20th century. A brief review of the literature gives an account of the current research status. One has to realise that the conclusions are not uniformly consistent but depend strongly on the specific boundary conditions and investigated parameters. The study presented here discusses the usage of infrared reflective wall paint in conjunction with heat insulation for historic brick masonry. The possible energy savings are linked to the resulting thermal comfort. We identify critical parameters that must be taken into account when using infrared reflective wall paint and derive recommended design rules for the refurbishment of such building types. The findings prove that infrared reflective wall paint can decrease heat losses by 18% and up to 22% if comfort conditions are considered. Increasing energy savings can also cause the negative effect of high radiative asymmetry. Thus, each configuration must be observed in detail.