Thermal characterization of insulating materials

The strict energy saving standards are based on the declared values of the materials, i.e. U-value, thermal conductivity or thermal capacity. To this end, proper knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the wall components is needed, especially with regard to new lightweight technologies that are being used in building construction/refurbishment, under the dynamic conditions of the Mediterranean climate, where one of most important parameters of building materials is their heat capacity because of the influence of solar radiation energy. With this regard, the actual heat capacity value, obtained in laboratory tests, is typically quite different from the nominal one. So, this paper reviews several methods of calculating the heat capacities of materials and several worldwide applications, with the aim of providing an overview of the thermal behaviour of lightweight insulation materials and their implications for energy and indoor comfort. Finally, the authors propose a simple method able to evaluate the specific heat capacity of real scale building materials with a ~5% of uncertainty.