Analysis of the embodied energy in selected building product

Thesis presents an energy analysis of selected building products, particularly thermal insulation materials. Efficient use of energy has gained importance over years, accordingly also rehabilitation of energy-intensive buildings in Slovenia. Most of current research in the field is focused on financial savings from measures of rehabilitation. Only few are focusing on embodied energy in comparison to the energy consumed in the amortization period of the thermal envelope.\ud Aim of the thesis is to determine the reasonableness behind using building materials with high embodied energy with an intention to save the energy in the amortization period of the thermal envelope over thirty years. Our reference is a non-isolated object, where we defined the most important construction products for analysis and located the object into three different climatic zones with different duration of the heating season. On the basis of the statutory thermal transmittance of each building element, we calculated the energy consumed for heating per one square meter of the construction set. Using obtained data of embodied energy, densities and thermal characteristics of the material we calculated the amount of embodied energy. Later, we tensed limited heat transfers to such an extent that the ratio between embodied energy represented about a third of all consumed energy in the amortization period of the thermal envelope.\ud The results showed that the majority of organic thermal insulation materials with the exception of cork, and most of the inorganic thermal insulation materials with the exception of foamed glass are reasonable to use in the thermal envelope of the building. The analysis has also shown that the terrace as a structural assembly of a mile statutory limits heat transfer, as it experiences excessive heat loss in the amortization period. The main finding is that the cork as insulating material from the perspective of energy is not suitable for the manufacture of thermal envelope as it never meets the desired requirements