Vacuum insulation panels : an overview of research literature with an emphasis on environmental and economic studies for building applications

Božiček, David (author), Peterková, Jitka (author), Zach, Jiří (author), Košir, Mitja (author)

The study provides an overview of the research focus on vacuum insulation panels (VIPs). Scientific literature published between 1960 and 2022 is identified, and a database covering 423 documents is amassed. In the first phase, research documents were categorised into three groups: product, other and buildings. In the second phase, data about the studied building applications and research topics were extracted and quantitatively evaluated. In the last phase, the studies evaluating VIPs’ environmental and economic implications in buildings were analysed in detail. The study results show an increasing publication trend on VIPs, with almost 90% of the literature published from 2010 onwards. Building applications are the dominant research subject, representing 56% of identified documents. A detailed analysis of life cycle studies pointed to a consensus that in building applications, fumed silica VIPs exert a higher environmental impact and costs than conventional insulation materials if the comparison is based on an equivalent thermal transmittance value. However, several studies showed reasonable payback and environmental neutrality periods for retrofitting scenarios. Benefits could also be achieved if insulation layer thickness is limited. External wall insulation represents the vast majority of the applications analysed. Studies further showed that VIPs in external wall applications could be economically viable compared to conventional insulation if added useable floor space is considered. The characteristics of life cycle studies were analysed, research gaps and possibilities were identified, and research recommendations for environmental and economic studies of VIPs were provided.

• Language: English
• Keywords: vacuum insulation panel, VIP, life cycle assessment, LCA, life cycle costing, LCC, research focus and trends, super insulation materials, buildings
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 18 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 189, pt. A, art. 113849
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-153104
• UDC: 699.86
• ISSN on article: 1364-0321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113849
• COBISS.SI-ID: 169413635
• Publication date in RUL: 18.12.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews
• Shortened title: Renew. sustain. energy rev.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1364-0321
• COBISS.SI-ID: 44255233

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: vakuumsko izolacijski paneli, VIP, ocenjevanje življenjskega cikla, LCA, vrednotenje vseživljenjskih stroškov, LCC, raziskovalni fokus in trendi, super izolacijski materiali, stavbe