Performance of aerogel as a thermal insulation material towards a sustainable design of residential buildings for tropical climates in Nigeria

Abstract

The building sector accounts for nearly 40% of global energy consumption. In Nigeria, more than two-thirds of the consumption comes from residential buildings. Energy efficiency measures through the adoption of insulation materials are tools that could crash the peak demand of energy in buildings while improving its thermal comfort and aerogel is considered as the most effective material for insulation, owing to its unique thermal properties. In this paper, we present the performance of aerogel as a thermal insulation material towards a sustainable design of residential buildings for tropical climates in Nigeria. First, a typical residential building in the tropical region was modeled with conventional materials utilized in the region and was later modified through the application of aerogel material on various surfaces of the model. A whole building energy simulation was then carried out in each variation and the outcome was compared to effectively conclude on the significance of aerogel in terms of thermal comfort improvement and energy consumption reduction. Results show that aerogel had the highest influence when inserted in the attic and floor slabs of the designed model. A reduction of more than 6% was attained in the recorded indoor mean air and operative temperatures while still maintaining an acceptable humidity range. Concerning energy consumption, a reduction of more than 15% was achieved. However, the high price of aerogel may hinder its application on the studied building but could be a good investment where climate change and sustainability are of high importance and less concern is given to expenditure. Aerogel demonstrated significant potential with respect to both thermal comfort improvement and energy consumption reduction on the designed model. The outcome of the study is hoped to serve as a base reference for the insulation of residential buildings with similar climate and characteristics to the adopted case building.