Super insulation plasters in renovation of buildings in Sweden: energy efficiency and possibilities with new building materials

Paper in proceeding, 2020

Super insulation plasters are new and high energy efficient plasters mixed with aerogel particles. Aerogel is a porous and low-density material with very low thermal conductivity compared to the traditional insulation materials. Today, approximately 27% of Sweden’s multi-family houses have a plaster façade. Plaster is commonly used in many other European countries as well. In this paper, numerical simulations are utilized to estimate the total magnitude of energy and CO2 emissions that can be saved annually in Sweden by using super insulation plasters. In additional, possibilities and challenges in conjunction with the introduction of new techniques and materials in the building sector have been addressed, through interviews and literature review. The annual energy use and CO2 emissions can be reduced by 74±48 GWh and 1000 ±600 ton respectively if 10% of Sweden’s multi-family houses are externally insulated by super insulation plaster. Based on the interviews it is evident that distinct information and documentation about a new building material, concerning the material properties and long-termperformance, needs to be provided by the producer before usage of the material on industrial scale. Another important issue is the cost of a new technique and that it has to be economically motivated. Implementation of the super insulation plaster in Swedish buildings can contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals numbers 7, 8 and 9 by 2030, by increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and productivity on construction sites.