INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF OPTIMUM INSULATION THICKNESS OF BUILDING EXTERIOR WALLS ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS

Asiye ASLAN¹

The heating and cooling load of buildings gets reduced by preventing heat transfer to the external environment using exterior wall insulation. In addition to the saving achieved by reducing fuel consumption, the amount of harmful gases emitted into the atmosphere also gets reduced and a positive contribution is made to the environment. It is a known fact that 85% of CO2 emission in Turkey is caused by the energy sector in Turkey. In this study, the optimum insulation thickness of exterior walls and emission per unit area was calculated for 81 provinces in Turkey. The Life Cycle Cost method was used as the approach. As a result, it was determined that while the optimum insulation thickness varied between 0.024m (İçel) and 0.149m (Ardahan), a 75%-80% reduction can be achieved in emissions. Additionally, energy savings and payback periods based on optimum insulation thickness in heating and cooling for provinces selected from five different climatic zones (Antalya, Istanbul, Ankara, Kayseri, and Erzurum) were calculated and compared. In the selected provinces, the highest energy savings and the shortest payback period were obtained for Erzurum as 46.93$/m2 and 1.33 years.

Keywords
Degree days, Energy saving, Optimum insulation thickness, Greenhouse gas emission, External walls,