Incorporating Vacuum Insulated Panels in a Residential Home
Posted by Jocelyn | Posted on 1:46 PM
The past couple of years British Columbia’s government has been focusing on energy savings and net zero designs. Through research I plan to prove whether wall designs incorporating vacuum insulated panels are feasible in the Kamloops region.
Purpose:
To compare vacuum insulated panels with other commonly used insulation products.
• Which one is more cost effective?
• Over time will there be any health risks?
• How will each respond to colder climates?
• How long will they last?
• How much maintenance is required?
Goals and Objectives:
My goal throughout the project is to introduce a different insulation material to exterior walls in a design for a residential home located in Kamloops BC. By completing this study I hope to develop results that clearly show which insulation is best suited for the area. If my conclusions show positive results towards energy efficiency in vacuum insulated panels, I hope to persuade architects and designers to incorporate vacuum insulated panels in their designs.
Methodology and Analytical approach:
I plan to base my research on whether vacuum insulated panels are cost effective and practical for residential construction.
I will design a basic single family residential home on Foxtail Dr. located in the Aberdeen area and incorporate vacuum insulated panels. The house will have two wall options incorporating two different insulations:
1.) A basic standard batt insulation, and
2.) Vacuum insulated panels.
Research will be done to compare advantages and disadvantages of the two wall constructions, calculate the inboard/outboard thermal resistance ratio and calculate energy consumption in the residential home over time. Examination of the insulation panels will be done to determine the materials used, and how each work together to create a high thermal resistance. The cost of installation and materials will be examined as well.
Plans for Dissemination of work:
Throughout the year I will conduct extensive research and data collection to create a technical report that will answer my question of whether incorporating vacuum insulated walls in Kamloops is feasible. I will include Revit drawings to show the design of the house, and wall details to illustrate how the insulation is placed. I will also create an updated blog that will contain elements of my research.
Conclusion:
According to the city of Kamloops website, the average person consumes 42.3 GJ of energy in their home annually. By researching vacuum insulated panels I hope to develop results that will help reduce the amount of energy consumed.
Hey Joce,
I think this is a really neat topic. I looked up a little info on what VIP's were and they seem to have a really short lifespan (25yrs on one website).
I was wondering how the design would have to change in order to incorporate these VIP's as far as maintenance goes? Do you have to design it so that they will be accessible in order to repair or replace them when their lifespan runs out?
I wonder if it's possible to hook it up to a vacuum that had a sensor that would automatically draw the air out of the VIP's whenever it sensed that they were low?
Excited to see more!
~Samantha
Hi Jocelyn,
Your topic is very interesting. A 25 year life span does seem to be quite a drawback, but hopefully it's enough to make up for the reduction in heating.
I was also wondering how they are incorporated in the wall assembly, since you cant nail your siding through the panels without ruining them, does it require a "double-wall"?
Good luck on your research!
I have never heard of these vacuum insulated panels before but they sound pretty interesting. I was wondering the same thing as Mike, it seems like they would be tricky to install; would you need to hire a specialist to do it?
Would these panels be used to replace batt insulation, or would they just act as extra protection like rigid insulation?
Obviously special detailing would be required to incorporate these panels into a home. A double wall is a good suggestion. They are planning to use these in the Harmony House EQuilibrium home being built in Burnaby. http://www.harmony-house.ca/index.html
As far as I know, it is not under construction yet and the details on their web site do not show how they will be incorporated. I talked to the architect and he said that Panasonic makes the panels.
Based on a few quick searches it sounds like they cost around $20 per square foot, which is quite high. You could achieve similar insulating properties with 10" of spray foam which would be about $15 per square foot, or you could use 16" of cellulose or batt insulation which would be much cheaper.
So we will not save any money by using these panels, but you might save space. you could save 6" to 12" of space around your entire building. at $200 per square foot for construction this could add up.
Thanks for the heads up Dale. I will definitely check out the website, and perhaps even contact Panasonic. A supplier should be able to help with installation questions.
That is quite an expensive product. I will definitely have to take the cost into account when doing my report.
Hey Jocelyn,
Have you looked into how long it would take for the VIP's to start benifiting the homeowner, how long it would take for the net energy savings to pay for the VIP's?
Thanks for your post!
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