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GLOBAL INSULATION NEWS

Owens Corning reports drop in third quarter

TechnoNICOL plans Euro4.2m upgrade

US: Owens Corning has reported a drop in its third quarter

profit due to lower demand for roofing and composites. The
insulation construction and industrial-materials company published consolidated net sales of US$1.28bn for the third quarter
of 2012, compared with US$1.45bn during the same period
in 2011.
Third-quarter 2012 adjusted earnings, based on the companys expected full-year effective tax rate of 25%, were US$39m
compared with US$110m in the third quarter of 2011. The
company reported net earnings of US$44m compared with net
earnings of US$124m.
We are disappointed in our third-quarter financial results,
said chairman and chief executive officer Mike Thaman. Despite
these results, we are proud that our insulation business achieved
profitability in the quarter for the first time in four years, in an
improving US construction market. Roofing and Composites are
experiencing challenging market conditions in the second half.
We continue to focus on actions that will position these businesses for near-term improvement.
The construction and industrial-materials company warned
investors earlier in October 2012 that weaker demand for roofing in the US and lower industrial production, particularly in
Europe, hurt its revenue. It trimmed its full-year forecast. Owens
Corning still expects adjusted earnings before interest and taxes
between US$280m and US$310m for the full year of 2012.

Russia: TechnoNICOL has announced that it is going to invest

Euro4.24m towards upgrading mineral wool production at a
plant in Tatarstan.
TechnoNICOLs plant in Zainsk will increase its capacity by
20%. Currently the plant has two production lines with a total
capacity of 140,000t/yr. The plant started operation in 2007.
TechnoNICOL was founded in 1993 as a producer and
supplier of insulating materials. It has representations in
33 countries and maintains 35 production sites in Russia,
Ukraine, Belarus, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.

Chinese insulation market doubles since 2005

JSC Valmieras stikla iedra expands unit

Latvia: JSC Valmieras stikla iedra (VSS), a glass fibre manufacturer based in Valmiera, was expected to have completed
a US$8.38m expansion by the end of December 2012. The
new third one-stage glass furnace at the site is intended to
decrease energy usage by 40% and increase production
by 50%
This investment enables us to continue to reduce the
inefficient two-stage glass fibre production process of the
glass marble technology, leaving glass marbles in the past,
said VSS CEO A O Brutns. The project has been co-financed
by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency which
provided US$1.82m.
VSS, which was founded in 1959, produces glass fibre and
derived products. The company exports 96% of its production
to 32 countries for use in dielectric, sound and thermal insulation. It employs 850 personnel at present.

China: Research and Markets has announced the publication

of a new report, China Thermal Insulation Material Industry Report. The
JM appoints new CEO
report details the steady rise of the
thermal insulation material industry
US: Johns Manville (JM) has announced that Todd Raba, its president and CEO, has relinin China, which has seen its output
quished his position with the company. Effective 13 November 2012, Mary Rhinehart has
up to 4.93Mt in 2011, more than doubeen appointed the new president and chief executive officer of the company.
ble that seen in 2005.
I thank Todd for his leadership. He has worked diligently during a tough economic
Following the propulsion of enenvironment to effectively position the company for future success. Todd spent the
ergy conservation and emissions
last five years focusing on positioning JM for the future and I thank him for the work he
reduction in China, especially the
did in moving the business forward, commented Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of
development of building energy efBerkshire Hathaway.
ficiency in both depth and breadth,
Rhinehart was previously the senior vice president and chief financial officer of JM.
Chinas thermal insulation material
She has been with the company since 1979. Her background includes management
output in 2012 is expected to be
and bottom-line responsibility for a business unit, global treasury and strategic busimore than 5.5Mt. Oncoming fire
ness development, including directing a variety of acquisition activities. She has held
regulations are also likely to have a
finance leadership roles in most of JMs businesses. Additionally, during her career at JM,
strong effect on insulation installaRhinehart has had responsibility for compensation, benefits management, community
tion in larger developments.
relations, global supply chain and organisational planning.
Among organic thermal insulaRhinehart has spent her long and successful career focusing on the interests of JM
tion materials, polystyrene foam
employees and customers. I am proud to have worked for this great company for over
and polyurethane foam have always
30 years, she said. Throughout it all we have succeeded as a company due to our people
occupied the dominant position in
and the powerful relationships we have with our customers. I am excited about this new
China. However, due to flammabilopportunity and am committed to continuing to move us forward. JM is a great company.
ity and toxic substances released by
We could not have a better owner than Berkshire Hathaway and I could not have a better
combustion, the former is gradually
role model than Warren Buffett.
being replaced. The latter, despite exBuffett added, Mary is exactly the (type of ) CEO we like to hire. She is passionate, smart
cellent thermal insulation properties,
and she truly cares about JM customers and employees. Shell add tremendous value to
has frequently caused fire because of
JM going forward, and I couldnt be more enthused to have her taking on this role after all
low levels of fire resistance.
that shes already accomplished at JM.

global insulationSECTION January 2013

33

GLOBAL INSULATION NEWS

Owens Corning gets first North American environmental product declarations for fibreglass
US: Owens Corning has announced its receipt of UL-certified
ISO compliant Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its
Unfaced and Kraft-Faced EcoTouch(R) PINK(R) FIBERGLAS(TM) Insulation with PureFiber(R) Technology and its Unbonded LooseFill
Insulation. An EPD is an internationally-recognised, standardised
tool that reports the environmental impact of goods or services.
An industry first for fibreglass building insulation in North
America, the EPDs describe the environmental impact of the
insulation products based upon an established set of product
category rules and independently verified life cycle assessment
(LCA) data from cradle-to-grave. Through the LCA process, products are evaluated on several parameters including raw material
production and transportation, product manufacturing and
plant operations, product packaging, transportation and distribution of the insulation products and end of life impact.

The UL-certified EPDs for our EcoTouch Unfaced and KraftFaced Batts and Unbonded LooseFill Insulation reflect our
commitment to sustainability and our pledge to be transparent
about our products environmental performance through certification by credible third parties, said Gale Tedhams, director of
sustainability for Owens Corning. The EPDs are a valuable tool,
providing the next-level of product information for architects,
builders and specifiers to help them meet certain criteria for
green building and make sustainable purchasing decisions.
Owens Cornings new EPDs underline insulation as a key
contributor to a buildings overall energy-efficiency, helping to
reduce the energy required to maintain a comfortable living or
work environment. Typically, insulation saves 12 times as much
energy in its first year in place as the energy used to produce it.
That means that the energy consumed during manufacturing is
saved during the first four to five weeks of product use.

Medvedev calls for greater use of insulation in Russia

Russia: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has used the launch of a new
petrochemical installation to highlight that Russia lags behind its Scandinavian
neighbours in terms of insulation use. He said that Russia should target much
higher standards of insulation use.
Low energy-efficiency is a major problem for both residential and industrial buildings, said Medvedev. Quite often, we end up heating the air outside
and paying for it out of our own pockets. I would like to remind you that Russia
spends the equivalent of virtually 20t of oil per 1000m2. In other countries with
a similar climate including Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, the figure is
roughly half of that. This is the level to which we should aspire. We dont make
enough use of modern insulation materials.
In line with the state Energy Saving and Enhancing Energy
Efficiency programme we must try to decrease heat energy consumption by
30% by 2016 and by 40% by 2020. To meet these objectives well have to use
modern construction materials that will improve energy consumption. This is
also important for maintaining the necessary transport infrastructure.

New system for Cabot and Advanced Glazings

US: Cabot Corp. and Advanced Glazings have announced the launch of
SOLERA + Lumira aerogel R5 daylighting glazing units, insulated glass daylighting systems that deliver natural light distribution and diffusion as well
as thermal insulation.
The companies said that the SOLERA + Lumira aerogel R5 system is a
25mm-thick panel in which the insulated glass units are filled with Lumira
aerogel, a light but effective thermal insulation material. The use of Lumira
aerogel diffuses sunlight, removing interior hot spots, shadows and glare.
Compared with gas filled triple-glazed windows, the R5 systems deliver the
same level of thermal protection at a similar price. Additionally, the full spectrum diffused light from the R5 system provides benefits in light distribution,
glare control and permanent performance. The thinness of the new R5 unit
also makes it easy to install into any standard framing system.
Lumira aerogel systems have been used by thousands of designers
worldwide who are looking for sustainable daylighting solutions, said James
Satterwhite, Cabot Aerogel global commercial manager. With the addition
of this well-rounded suite of insulated glass units, designers now have a full
tool chest of design options for every type of application.

34

global insulationSECTION January 2013

BASF to sell BASF Wall Systems

Germany: BASF, the multinational chemical
company, has announced plans to divest its
subsidiary BASF Wall Systems GmbH & Co.
KG, together with its factory in Marktredwitz. BASF Wall Systems currently employs
190 workers.
BASF Wall Systems is a supplier of insulation and finishing systems in the German
market. The companys main field of business
is systems for the exterior and interior thermal insulation of buildings. In addition, the
company offers renovation and restoration
systems for historic buildings.
Our Wall Systems business in Germany
posted significant growth over the last few
years. Nevertheless, there are only limited
synergies with other BASF fields of activity
that we can make use of. A new owner will
be better able to drive the business, said Dr
Tilman Krauch, president of BASFs Construction
Chemicals division.

Insulation highlights genericisation

New Zealand: Intellectual property expert Theodore Doucas has used an impending case between
Pink Batts supplier Tasman Insulation and
Germanys Knauf Insulation over alleged infringement of the Batts trade mark to highlight the
growing danger of brands becoming genericised.
He says that it is important for companies to
guard against their trade marks passing into common use. He says that the internet and social media
mean it is now easier than ever for registered
brands to fall into generic use. Once a trademark
passes into common use, and if courts agree that it
is used generically, the trademark registration can
be revoked, something Knauf is trying to avoid.

GLOBAL INSULATION NEWS

US study finds risks from insulation practices
US: Researchers in the United States are calling for a change
to the US building codes, following a study showing that the
mandatory flame retardants that are routinely added to foam insulation are harmful to human health and the environment and
make no difference to the prevention of fire in buildings where
a fire-safe thermal barrier already exists. Such a change would
bring the US building codes in line with regulations in Sweden
and Norway.
The research team, which is drawn from institutes that
include University of California and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, conducted a thorough review of fire safety
literature since the mid-1970s and concluded that the addition
of halogenated organic compounds to plastic insulation materials such as polystyrene, polyisocyanurate and polyurethane is
costly, ineffective and environmentally damaging. The teams
conclusions are published in the latest issue of the journal Building Research and Information.
Led by internationally-renowned fire expert Dr Vytenis
Babrauskas of Fire Science & Technology Inc, the research team
investigated the impact of the Steiner Tunnel Test. This is used to
test the propagation of fire over the surface of all sorts of building materials in the early stages of fire, before the flashover point
is reached. The paper suggests that changing the US building
codes to exempt foam plastic insulation materials from the test
would avoid the use of thousands of tonnes of flame retardants
that are known or suspected to be persistent organic pollutants.
They conclude that, Such a change would decrease the
cost of foam plastic insulation and encourage the use of insulation materials for increasing building energy efficiency
and mitigating climate change. The potential for health and
ecological harm from the use of flame retardant chemicals
would be reduced and the fire safety of buildings would be
maintained. They also concluded that the Steiner Tunnel Test,
showing the flame being applied to the ceiling, is an inadequate and inappropriate method for testing insulation safety.

They suggest that exempting foam plastic insulation materials

from the Steiner Tunnel test would mean there was no longer a
need to add these flame retardants.
The article begins with a review of the development of the
US building codes in relation to fire safety, and foam insulation
in particular, and explains that foam plastics used for insulation
have required a thermal barrier (usually 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) thick
gypsum wallboard) since 1976. In addition, chemicals such as
hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and Tris (1-chloro-2-propyl)
phosphate (TCPP) are routinely added in order to meet the requirements of the test.
The building codes have never stipulated that chemicals
need to be added to foam plastic insulation, however doing so
is the most common way to meet the Steiner test. These additives are semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) which do
not bind to the insulation material and are known to be released
into the environment throughout the life cycle of the insulation
product. The chemicals can persist, accumulate and have been
implicated in thyroid hormone disruption and nervous system
development problems. They are also potentially carcinogenic.
Babrauskas and his team conclude that, in the light of their
evidence, a significant change should be implemented in the US
building codes as soon as possible.
They also recommend a root and branch review of the process of designing fire standards and building codes in particular
to ensure that fire scientists, building code officials and other
regulators consider the efficacy, life cycle, health and ecological
impacts of building materials.

PGF completes upgrade

Malaysia: PGF Insulation, a Penang-based glass wool manufacturer, has completed its two-phase, US$12m plant upgrade.
Starting in 2010, the plant has undergone a plant upgrade that
involved changing its curing oven, fiberising technology, melting furnace and adding a new production line. The upgraded
plant has a capacity of 20,000t/yr.
PGF says that the increased capacity is needed to cater for
the expected growth in Asia Pacific, the Indian subcontinent
and the Middle East due to increased awareness of energy efficiency and of the benefits of mineral wool insulation.
Other than the traditional building application, the plant
is also able to mass produce superior quality glass wool for
Vacuum Insulation Panels.

Dow Corning introduces new VIP

US: Dow Corning has introduced its new Dow Corning(R)
Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) at the US Green Building Councils Greenbuild 2012, which was held on 14-16 November
2012 in San Francisco, California.
The VIP is capable of delivering thermal resistance that is
five to 10 times higher than conventional insulation materials.
and has a slim profile that enables more efficient use of space
in buildings. The VIP also has good compression strength and
fire resistance and contains up to 95% pre-consumer recycled
content in the core and post-consumer recycled content in
the packaging.

global insulationSECTION January 2013

35

Contents

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Young Cheol Kwon, Department of Architecture in Halla University, Korea

Insulation applications for

buildings in South Korea

This article will introduce various building insulation applications used in Korea. Building insulation
market share by insulation category, types of insulations and their applications will be discussed.
With increased demand for reduction in building energy use, there is growing interest on the part
of building owners, designers and government agencies to optimise the use of thermal insulation.
Korean building energy conservation codes and new government targets for Zero Energy Houses is
focusing attention on applications for insulation systems.

Above: The Korean capital

Seoul at night. South Korea is
looking to increase the
efficiency of its buildings
using more stringent
insulation regulations in the
coming years.
Right- Table 1:
Energy consumption by
country in 2008.

36

he depletion of energy resources and the problem

of global warming require the building science
community to exercise sustainable development. Sustainability covers many issues, but none is as important
as energy.
More than any other factor, the pollution resulting
from the production of energy used by buildings is destroying the planet. Buildings use about 40% of all the
energy consumed. This energy is mostly derived from
fossil fuels that produce CO2 and other combustion
products that are the main causes of global warming.
We must replace these polluting sources with clean, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar energy, and
biomass, we must increase the efficiency of our buildings so that they use less energy, or we must do both.
Of course, we need to do both. However, decreasing the
energy consumption of buildings is both quicker and
less expensive than other alternatives.
To fight global warming, we must understand our
energy options. By far the most important aspect is
increasing efficiency, which is the easiest, quickest and
least expensive way to fight global warming. The most
efficient way to decrease the energy consumption of
buildings is to increase the insulation of the building
thermal envelope (ceilings, walls, and floors) and improve the thermal performance of windows and doors.
The thermal performance of the building envelope can
be improved with more and better insulating materials.
This article includes applications of loose-fill cellulose insulation, aerogel blanket, reflective insulation,
and vacuum insulation panels in South Korea.

globalinsulationSECTION January 2013

Rank

Nation

Primary energy
consumption (Mtoe)

% of global
energy use

USA

2298.96

21.32

China

2002.52

18.57

Russia

684.60

6.35

Japan

507.46

4.71

India

433.27

4.02

Canada

329.78

3.06

Germany

311.11

2.89

France

257.88

2.39

South Korea

240.10

2.23

10

Brazil

228.11

2.12

Reflective insulation is being used, with 30-40mm

thick multi-layered reflective insulation being used
in walls in the central region of the country. To meet
the building insulation code for the central region,
85mm XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) or 100 mm of EPS
(Expandable Polystyrene) is generally required. Highefficiency Low-E reflective insulations with reflective air
spaces formed by aluminium foils are also used.
The thickness of reflective insulation products is
commonly in the range of 10-20mm and they can be
multi-layered to meet specific required U-values. The
insulating efficiency for Low-E insulation is almost
twice as much as that of polystyrene foam board and
existing reflective insulation assemblies. The thickness
of Low-E insulation to meet building insulation codes
can be half that of some competing products. Low-E

globalinsulationSECTION
40L

Insulation has enclosed air spaces between aluminium foils which have
thermal emittance in the range 0.03
to 0.05. The reflective air spaces
are optimumly-sized air cells
30L
which are enclosed by a polyethylene foam structure.
Insulation should be
10 times thicker
than current construction

17L

7L
3L
1.5L

20L

Zero house

Passive house

Semi-passive house

Low -energy buildings

(German standards)

Houses after 2001

Houses before 2001

Curtain wall building

0L

50% energy reduction

wall building annually consumes 40 litres of kerosene

per year per square metre of area while ordinary houses
consume much less: 17 litres.
Passive houses can require 10 times as much insulation as ordinary houses. South Korea has established a
goal of reduced energy consumption, which is shown
in Figure 2. The South Korean governments objective
is to reduce greenhouse gases related to buildings by
31% before 2020 and all new houses should be built as
Zero Energy Houses from 2025.

Left - Figure 1: Energy

consumption of various
types of building.

South Korean insulation market

The Korean insulation market is currently about
US$4bn/yr. Cellular plastic insulations such as polystyrene and polyurethane make up about 68% of the
market. Inorganic insulation types like fibreglass
and mineral wool have about 25% of the market,
with perlite, vermiculite, ceramic and silica used as
industrial insulations at about 6%. Cellulose insulation, reflective insulation and vacuum insulation
panels share the remaining 1% (See Figure 3). Figure
4 shows how the distribution of insulation products in
South Korea compares with other regions. The Korean
market is currently dominated by the foam plastics.

Zero energy in house

80% energy reduction

Heat
Water

LED

3L

Cooling

Left - Figure 2: Building

energy reduction targets in
South Korea.

1.5L

Appliances

Lights

Present

South Korea in brief

Passive House: 80% reduction in

energy consumption and
CO2 emission

1.5%

Zero Energy House: 90% reduction

in energy consumption and
no CO2 emission

1.5% 1.0%
0.5% 2.5%

South Korea is a small country located in east Asia

8%
between its larger neighbours: China and Japan. Korea
was divided into North and South after the 1950 to 1953
17%
war with Seoul being the capital city of South Korea. Although it was one of the poorest countries in the world
in the 1950s, South Korea has undergone a dramatic
transformation in just 60 years. It has changed from an
aid-receiving country to one that provides aid.
People call this rapid growth The Miracle of the Han
River, after the river that runs through the centre of the
capital Seoul. The city is now covered with high-rise
Europe
Europe
apartments and highly-developed buildings.
Table 1 shows a ranking of the worlds high energy
USA
USA
consuming countries. South Korea is ninth on the list,
with building energy consumption making up about
Japan
Japan
25% of the nations total energy consumption.
Figure 1 shows annual energy consumption in sevenSouth S.Korea
Korea
types of structures in terms of equivalent fuel consump0
20
0
20
tion per unit area of floor space. It indicates that curtain

Left - Figure 3: Breakdown

of the insulation market in
South Korea.
Organic insulation
Glass wool
Mineral wool
Ceramics
Silica
Perlite
Vermiculite
Others

68%

Left - Figure 4: Market

share of different types of
insulation in Europe, USA,
Japan and South Korea.
Foamed plastics
Glass and mineral wool
Others
40

40

60

60

80

80

100

100

globalinsulationSECTION January 2013

37

globalinsulationSECTION
Building envelope

Exterior wall
Roof

Required U-value
(W/mK)
Directly adjacent to outside

<0.36

Indirectly adjacent to outside

<0.49

Directly adjacent to outside

<0.20

Indirectly adjacent to outside

Bottom of
lowest floor

Directly adjacent
to outside
Indirectly adjacent
to outside

<0.30

No floor heating

<0.41

Floor heating

<0.43

No floor heating

<0.58

Sidewall of apartment building

<0.27

Floor between
levels

<0.81

Windows and
doors

No floor heating
Others

<2.40

Indirectly adjacent
to outside

Apartment

<2.80

Others

<3.20

Themal conductivity (W/mK)

Mineral wool

0.037 - 0.046

Glass wool

0.034 - 0.045

Expanded polystyrene

0.036 - 0.043

Neopor

0.031 - 0.034

Extruded polystyrene

0.029 - 0.033

Urethane

0.022 - 0.030

Directly adjacent to outside

85

100

115

130

Indirectly adjacent to outside

60

70

80

90

Floor heating

105

125

140

160

Directly adjacent
to outside

No floor heating

75

90

100

115

Indirectly adjacent Floor heating

to outside
No floor heating

70

80

90

105

50

55

65

70

Directly adjacent to outside

160

190

215

245

Indirectly adjacent to outside

105

125

145

160

120

140

160

175

Floor heating

30

35

45

50

Other

20

25

25

30

Above - Table 3: Required thickness of insulation materials for building envelopes in the
Central Region of South Korea.

Enervac: 0.0045W/mK

XPS: 0.031W/mK

0.023

Aerogel blanket
Vacuum insulation panel

38

Europe, the USA and Japan mainly use

Grade
Thermal conductivity
Insulation types
fibreglass and mineral wool but in South
W/mK
kCal/mhC
Korea, organic insulations are largely used.
A
<0.034
<0.029
XPS: Outstanding type, type 1, type 2, type 3
This suggests an under-estimation of fire
EPS: Class 2 (Neopor), No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4
potential by Korean authorities.
Rigid polyurethane foam board: Class 1 & Class
Table 2 shows required U-values for cen2 - No. 1, No. 2, No. 3
tral region by building insulation codes. It
Glass wool: 48K, 64K, 80K, 96K, 120K
indicates that required U-values for exterior
walls that are directly adjacent to the outside B
0.035 - 0.040 0.030 - 0.034 EPS: Class 1 - No. 1, No.2, No. 3
directly should be less than 0.36W/m2K.
Mineral wool: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3
For the designers convenience, the buildGlass wool: 24K, 32K, 40K
ing insulation codes provide the required C
0.041 - 0.046 0.035 - 0.039 EPS: Class 1 - No.4
insulation thickness according to each inD
0.047 -0.051 0.040 - 0.044 Any with appropriate thermal requirements
sulation grade (See Table 3). The insulation
grade is given as A-D according to thermal
conductivity of insulation. Table 4 shows how these are
Table 5 shows the thermal conductivity of various
determined.
insulation materials and Figure 5 shows the required
insulation thickness to meet the U-value requirements
Properties and kinds of insulation
of passive house walls.
To function as desired, insulation materials must offer
low conductivity, low density, high strength, easy instalBelow - Figure 5: Required thicknesses of diferent types of
lation and stability over a wide range of temperatures.
insulation to conform to passive house requirements.
They must additionally be physically
and chemically stable, non-absorbEPS: 0.036W/mK
ant, non-flammable, resistant to
corrosion and non-toxic.

Insulation

Air

Floor between levels

<2.10

Below - Table 5: Thermal

conductivity of different
types of insulation (and air).

Roof

<1.10

Apartment

Right - Table 4: Criteria for

inclusion in different insulation grades in South Korea.

Bottom of lowest
floor

Required insulation
thickness according to
grade (mm)

Sidewall of apartment building

Directly adjacent
to outside

Above - Table 2: Required

U-values for building envelopes in the Central Region
of South Korea.

Exterior wall

<0.29

Floor heating

Floor heating

Building envelope

0.013 - 0.015
0.0045

globalinsulationSECTION January 2013

Aerogel: 0.015W/mK

Polyurethane foam: 0.025W/mK

Applicable Temperature Ranges of Insulations

globalinsulationSECTION
-200

-100

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Applicable
Ceramic fibre Temperature Ranges of Insulations
1280

Calcium silicate
Perlite

1000
Mineral wool
Asbestos
Glass wool
Foamed glass
Phenol foam
Cellulose fibre

Left - Figure 6:
Operational temperature
ranges of different types
of insulation.

Soft fibreboard
Polyurethane, styrofoam
Aerogel
-200

-100

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Temp (C)

Figure 5 indicates that Enervac, which is a brand

name for vacuum insulation panel developed by a Korean company, OCI, is able to achieve the target U-value
with a just a 30mm thickness.
Figure 6 shows the operational temperature ranges
of different types of insulation. It indicates that Aerogel
blanket insulation can be used from -200C to +650C,
making it useful for industrial applications.

Insulation efficiency
The following shows the cost of installing insulation in
percentage terms versus the total construction cost for
different types of buildings in South Korea. The data was
gathered from the projects completed by Samsung and
Daewoo, which are both major construction companies
in the country.
Apartment buildings
Exhibition and convention centres
Schools
Office buildings
Houses
Retail centres

0.1%
0.3%
0.4%
0.6%
1~3%
2.7%

It can be seen that fitting insulation is a small cost

in percentage terms relative to the total construction
costs in all cases, but the saved energy costs are large.
This makes payback periods short. Considering the possibility of rising oil prices, insulation should be added
beyond the level that any insulation code requires.

Examples from the future

There are various Energy Plus house, constructed in
South Korea by the Kolon company. Another prototype
house is the e+ Green Home, which produces more
energy than it needs. It received Passive House certification from the Passive House Institute in Germany
in 2011.

Conclusion
South Korea is keenly aware of the need for better energy

conservation in buildings. Building requirements are

becoming stricter and new thermal insulation materials
are being developed to meet the increasing demand.
The market share for insulation was dominated
in the past by the cellular plastics but is slowly shifting to a broader distribution of products that include
high-performance types of insulation. Financial return
is recognised as high and the need for South Korea to
contribute to reductions in energy use and reduction
of global warming is motivating building codes and
scientists.

Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the National Research
Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea
government(MEST) (No. 2011-0001361).

References
http://eng.low-e.co.kr/main/main.html
http://www.rimainternational.org
http://www.oci.co.kr/eng/
http://www.kccworld.co.kr/eng/business/insulation_
materials.asp
http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/
Lechner, N. Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Sustainable
Design Methods for Architects, John Wiley & Sons, New
Jersey, USA, 2009.
Kwon, Y.C.; Kang, H.J.; Kim, S. A study on the development of a high-efficiency reflective insulation, Journal of
KIAEBS, Vol. 6 No. 1 : 89~95, 2012.
Kwon, Y.C.; Kim, Y.O. A study on the development of a
high-efficiency Low-E insulation, Journal of KIAEBS, Vol.
4, No. 3: 89~95, 2010.

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