Optimization of thermal insulation to achieve energy savings

Abstract

Due to the current environmental situation, saving energy and reducing CO2 emission have become the leading drive in modern research. For buildings that require heating, one of the solutions is to optimize a width of their thermal insulation layer and thus improve energy efficiency and reduce energy needs. In this paper, for a small residential house in Serbia, an optimization in the width of its thermal insulation layer is investigated by using EnergyPlus software and Hooke-Jeeves direct search method. The embodied energy of thermal insulation is taken into account. The optimization is done for the entire life cycle of the house. The results show what optimal thickness of thermal insulation yields the minimum primary energy consumption.