Flows of air into wall cavities or porous thermal insulation can occur in certain configurations. This is referred to as a Dynamic Insulation System whose operation may often be compared with that of an air-to-air heat exchanger. The question is then to ascertain whether energy gains are important in building requirements. The study was conducted using unsteady state models. Results of simulation sets over short periods are compared with measurements of developments in natural or artificial climate conditions, mostly in association with universities. Runs all over the heating period are then used to estimate energy conservation secured by three dynamic insulation systems and their economic interest evaluated. Without any additional equipment (heat pump), energy savings during a heating period vary between 7% and 14%. This provides annual money savings from 400 F to 800 F, which actually seems a little low to justify these dynamic systems economically. In future, low-cost systems could be developed if they contribute to improved thermal comfort, with energy savings as a bonus.

Units: SI