Investigation of alternative materials for thermal insulation in concrete buildings

With the increasing global population, energy consumption is rapidly rising. In Türkiye, considering that approximately 31% of total energy consumption occurs in residential buildings, the importance of enhancing energy efficiency in buildings becomes evident. This study investigates the impact of various insulation materials, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), stone wool, hemp, and aerogel, on heat transfer, their thermal performance, and their potential to serve as alternatives to traditional methods. Within the scope of this study, five experimental rooms with similar characteristics were constructed on the campus of Hasan Kalyoncu University. One of these rooms was left as an uninsulated control room, while the other four were covered with different insulation materials. The indoor and outdoor temperatures of both insulated and non-insulated experimental rooms were measured regularly. During the measurements, solar radiation intensity, relative humidity, and wind speed were kept constant. Based on the collected data, the thermal conductivity performance of commonly used insulation materials was compared with that of innovative insulation materials. This thesis consists of five chapters. In the first chapter, the purpose, scope and importance of the study are explained. In the second chapter, a literature review is made on organic and inorganic thermal insulation materials used in hot climates. In the third chapter, the experimental setup, material properties and data collection method are detailed. In the fourth chapter, experimental findings are presented and evaluated. In the fifth and last chapter, general results are summarized and forward-looking suggestions are given.