Experimental and numerical investigation of eco-friendly materials for building envelope

Abstract

ABSTRACT This work aims to evaluate the impact of new materials on thermal performance and energy savings. Indeed, this study shows the importance of the use of natural and recycled waste-based feather materials. For this purpose, a full-scale cell located in Casablanca was considered as a case study to build a simulation model performed on TRNSYS. This model is then used for the impact of the techniques studied on energy performance, GHG emissions, and hours of discomfort inside another cell in Casablanca. This study showed that the developed nonwovens exhibit excellent insulation performance with thermal conductivity in the range of 0.031–0.044 [W/m. K]. Moreover, the minimum energy performance is observed for developed wool insulation with a performance of 30 (KWh/year.m2). The comparison of these values with the Moroccan thermal regulation which sets a threshold of 40 (kWh/year.m2) for the annual thermal load of residential buildings in the climatic zone of Casablanca, shows that the feather waste insulation integrated into the building is mainly sufficient to meet the requirements of Moroccan regulations. Annual GHG emissions are mitigated by 44.61 for FC1, 46.54 for FC2, 47.95 for FC3, 46.59 for FW1, 46.99 for FW2 and 48.58 for FW3(%).