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Importance of Window Installation in Residential Building Envelopes Having Continuous External Insulation in Order to Realize Energy Efficiency

Journal Article · · Energies
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/en17174273· OSTI ID:2438112
 [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. WinBuild Inc., Fairfax, VA (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Residential buildings are one of the prime candidates in the United States for reducing energy consumption. Continuous exterior insulation (CEI) is being used increasingly often in residential buildings to improve energy efficiency. Windows constitute 15–40% of a building envelope and are the weakest component in energy performance. The installation of windows in walls with CEI has not been well evaluated. We identified four cases of installing windows in walls with CEI of 25–76 mm (1–3 in.) thickness and analyzed the energy loss between the window and wall interface (flanking loss), structural issues, air leakage, and moisture penetration. Thermal analysis showed that the insulation value (RSI) of the 305 mm (12 in.) perimeter wall surrounding a window decreased by 7.6–34.5% in the four cases when compared with the RSI of the wall without the window. A window installation method is proposed to address the issues likely to occur with installation methods currently being used in the field. An out-of-the-box installation system was also designed to achieve a better thermal performance, cost effectiveness, and structural performance in high-performance residential buildings.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
2438112
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2438842
Journal Information:
Energies, Vol. 17, Issue 17; ISSN 1996-1073
Publisher:
MDPICopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (1)