Towards the evaluation of a thermal compartmentation renovation concept through in-situ measurements

Saxion University of Applied Sciences, School of Business, Building & Technology, Chair of Sustainable Building Technology, P.O. Box 70.000, 7500 KB Enschede, the Netherlands.

^* Corresponding author: t.j.h.rovers@saxion.nl

Abstract

Facing the energy transition, Dutch social housing corporations are expected to fulfil a pioneering role in realising fossil fuel free and CO₂ neutral dwellings and neighbourhoods. However, given the high current costs of retrofitting dwellings to net zero energy, housing corporations are searching diligently for alternative, more affordable, renovation strategies. A Thermal Compartmentation renovation concept has been developed, in which retrofitting efforts are concentrated on the living spaces in dwellings. By means of co-heating tests, the quality of the thermal shell of three retrofitted case objects has been evaluated. It is found that both the airtightness and the heat loss coefficient (HLC) improved significantly as a result of the renovation. As would be expected, the realised ‘warm compartments’ show a better thermal performance than the entire dwellings. Although the measurements and subsequent analyses have confirmed the impact of the renovation measures on the buildings’ thermal performance, additional research targeting the inhabited dwellings is necessary to draw up final conclusions on the potential of the Thermal Compartmentation renovation concept.