Over the past decade, a new generation of building energy codes has taken effect in Russia. These codes, which mandate a reduction of at least 40 percent in energy consumption for heating, have led to the need for an increase of 2.5 to 3 times in envelope thermal performance. Consequently, a fundamental transformation has taken place, toward the production, sale, and use of energy-efficient construction materials and products, and changes in building design methods New technologies and design approaches for building envelopes include design of widened buildings with a lower surfacearea- to-volume ratio; energy-efficient windows with sealed glass units; use of efficient thermal-insulation materials in exteriorwall systems; and others. Implementation of these new systems and technologies has run into some problems both in design and in operation. This paper discusses these problems and the solutions that have emerged.

Presented at Thermal Performance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings X – December 2007

Units: Dual