A building's envelope is the product of the choice of framing materials and quality of craftsmanship. Exposed to weather, it may not provide the same airtight conditions in which its insulation material had been tested. Air permeable insulation offers little resistance to pressure driven, or convective, heat loss. Air impermeable insulators can additionally reduce convective, as well as conductive, heat loss by being sprayed into and sealing up sources of infiltration normally addressed by caulks and sealants. This qualitative study uses infrared thermography to demonstrate how selected areas of two building envelopes, one with an air permeable insulation and the other with an impermeable one, react to windy conditions simulated by depressurization.

AUTHOR: Donald P. Otto
CITATION: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VII
KEYWORDS: December, Florida, 1998
YEAR: 1998