Investigation of Energy Saving Potential in Buildings Using Novel Developed Lightweight Concrete

Abstract

In this study, three different composite materials were produced from mixtures of natural and waste materials in different proportions. The produced composites were used to determine the insulation thickness of exterior walls of buildings located in 12 provinces selected from the four different climate zones of Turkey. The selection of provinces was made according to Turkish standard TS 825. The produced materials are thermal insulation elements that can be used instead of construction elements, such as brick, on the exterior walls of the buildings. In this study, only the heating of the buildings was considered and the number of heating degree days of the provinces was taken into account to determine the insulation thickness. The life cycle cost analysis method was used to determine the optimum insulation thickness. It was determined that the optimum insulation thickness values calculated for four different fuel types for the selected provinces varied between 0.170 m and 1.401 m. The annual energy requirement for the unit surface area of the exterior walls of the insulated buildings was determined to be 11,213–965,715 kJ·m−2 per year. Moreover, it was determined that the insulation costs ranged between $ 22,841 m−2 and $ 114,841 m−2, and the payback period ranged from approximately 2.5 to 6.5 years. It was concluded that using these new types of materials in the determined regions were advantageous in terms of thermal insulation, fire resistance, mechanical properties, production costs, extra labor costs, and optimum insulation thickness.