Vacuum insulation panels for building applications—Continuous challenges and developments

Abstract

This review paper gives the latest state of the art communicated during the 11th International Vacuum Insulation Symposium IVIS2013 and beyond. Although the largest application of the Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) concerns the refrigeration industry (60%) and transport boxes (30%) and only a tiny amount is used in the building industry (10%), the number of scientific publications dealing with VIPs with regard to the latter dominate since more than a decade. The main topics addressed therein are the aging of the VIP as a whole as well as the role of the components, under different long term hygrothermal stress conditions. There is a clear expansion of VIP applications in buildings from primarily German speaking countries, toward Europe, and then to overseas. Recent years have witnessed an increasing confidence in this product among researchers and practitioners interested in energy efficient buildings worldwide.