Thermal Bridge in the Building, Energy Loss and Environmental Effects

Abstract

In the presence of a thermal bridge in the building, some of the required energy becomes inactive in order to provide thermal comfort in the building. This situation negatively affects the energy efficiency of the building. The energy sources used throughout the world for air conditioning are fossil fuels with limited reserves. In terms of sustainability, transferring fossil fuels to future generations is an important issue. Moreover, as a result of the combustion process that occurs when energy is obtained from fossil fuels, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and various particulate matter are produced, causing air pollution. Carbon dioxide gas, which is a monitoring parameter regarding climate change, is a parameter that is controlled during the fight against global warming. Various studies are carried out and policies are developed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions around the world. In the construction sector, which is among the areas where energy is used in large amounts throughout the world, a large part of the energy is consumed for air conditioning. At this stage, thermal bridges and insulation application in the building is a very important issue. In this review study, the importance of the thermal bridge is emphasized and its importance in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort in the building is determined. In addition, the areas where thermal bridges are commonly encountered in the building are summarized and the precautions to be taken in the building and the harms of thermal bridges to the ecosystem are evaluated together.