Eensulate
Innovative insulating components and materials for cost-effective retrofitting or new curtain wall facades
| Business | Period | Project Coordinator | Funding Scheme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | Aug 2016 - Jan 2020 | RINA Consulting | H2020-EEB-2016 |
Challenge
The goal of the 2020 strategy is to create conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. In regards to the building sector, the emphasis has been placed on two key principles – the principle of ‘nearly zero-energy building’ and the principle of ‘cost optimality’. Moreover, European legislators decided that by 31 December 2020, member states must ensure that all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings and by 31 December 2018, all new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities must be nearly zero-energy buildings.
Furthermore, existing buildings, including historical ones, are responsible for up to 60% of energy losses through the envelope.
To solve this issue, Eensulate has received funding from European Union's Horizon H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 723868.
The goal of the project is to develop an affordable advanced architectural glass to address thermal and acoustic insulation. Eensulate is expected to minimize thermal bridges between curtain walls and sub-structures, have cost-effective control of solar radiation and approach to insulate the spandrel, allow for an easy implementation on site by reducing the weight of the curtain wall.
Eensulate will develop two key commercial insulating products to improve energy consumption in the existing building stock which represent the key enabling technologies of the EENSULATE module:
- Eensulate foam: a highly insulating mono-component foam (OCF) for windows application and a two component foam (TCF) with high fire class for spandrel application
- Eensulate glass: a lightweight and thin double pane vacuum glass (VIG)
Eensulate modules are suitable for both new and existing buildings and therefore have the capacity to solve the major energy losses through retrofitting of old buildings.
Approach
RINA is the project coordinator of EENSULATE and it is mainly responsible of the definition of business drivers and of the development of high level performance specifications.
RINA analysed and reviewed the current codes and standards inherent curtain walls design and construction to check the compliancy of new developed components.
Moreover, RINA developed the concept design for Eensulate module.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Eensulate will have the following main expected impacts for the EU community:
- Improvement by at least 25% of the insulation properties
- Reduction by at least 20% of the total costs
- Improvement by at least 20 % of solution durability
- At least a 15% reduction of the energy spent during the whole life cycle of a building
- Easier implementation
