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Exploratory Study with Regard to Ecodesign of Thermal Insulation in Buildings (Lot 36)

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Exploratory Study with Regard to Ecodesign of Thermal Insulation in Buildings (Lot 36) Distribution: Restricted Final report Exploratory study with regard to Ecodesign of thermal insulation in buildings (Lot 36): MEErP tasks 0, 1 and 7 (partly) Spirinckx Carolin (VITO), Peeters Karolien (VITO), Debacker Wim (VITO), Vandevelde Birgit (VITO), Geerken Theo (VITO), Durand Antoine (WIKUE), Götz Thomas (WIKUE), Lemeire Caroline (VITO) and Lust Arnoud (VITO) Study accomplished under the authority of DG ENERGY, under specific contract No ENER/C3/2012-418-Lot1/02/SI2.652413, within the multiple framework service contract No ENER/C3/2012-418-Lot 1, preparatory studies and related technical assista nce on specific product groups 2013/TEM /R/38 February 2014 2013/TEM/R/38 All rights, amongst which the copyright, on the materials described in this document rest with the Flemish Institute for Technological Research NV (“VITO”), Boeretang 200, BE-2400 Mol, Register of Legal Entities VAT BE 0244.195.916. The information provided in this document is confidential information of VITO. This document may not be reproduced or brought into circulation without the prior written consent of VITO. Without prior permission in writing from VITO this document may not be used, in whole or in part, for the lodging of claims, for conducting proceedings, for publicity and/or for the benefit or acquisition in a more general sense. Distribution List DISTRIBUTION LIST European Commission: . Toth Andras, DG Energy, ENER.C.3.001 Energy efficiency of products, Policy Officer – contact person Commission . Acedo Juan Moreno, DG Energy, ENER.C.3.001 Energy efficiency of products, Policy Officer . Bennett Michael, DG Enterprise, ENTR.B.1. Sustainable Industrial Policy and Construction, Policy Officer . Fuchs Manfred, DG Enterprise, ENTR.B.1.001 Sustainable Construction, Policy Officer . Katsarakis Georgios, DG Enterprise, ENTR.B.1.001 Sustainable Construction, Policy Officer . Kubiak Ruben, DG Energy, ENER.C.3.001 Energy efficiency of products, Policy Officer . Lindblom Josefina, DG Environment, ENV.A.1. Eco-Innovation and Circular Economy, Policy Officer . Pekar Ferenc, DG Environment, ENV.A.1. Eco-Innovation and Circular Economy, Policy Officer Project team: . Spirinckx Carolin, VITO, Project Manager Insulation Materials, contact person project team . Debacker Wim, VITO, Expert Insulation Materials . Durand Antoine, WIKUE, Quality Manager . Geerken Theo, VITO, Expert Ecodesign . Götz Thomas, WIKUE, Quality Expert . Lemeire Caroline, VITO, Deputy Framework Contract Manager . Lust Arnoud, VITO, Contract Manager . Peeters Karolien, VITO, Expert Life Cycle Assessment . Vandevelde Birgit, VITO, Expert Buildings Disclaimer: The project team does not accept any liability for any direct or indirect damage resulting from the use of this report or its content. The report contains the results of research by the authors and is not to be perceived as the opinion of the European Commission. 2013/TEM/R/38 I Summary SUMMARY VITO (the Flemish Institute for Technological Research) and WIKUE (Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy) have performed this exploratory study with regard to Ecodesign of thermal insulation in buildings on behalf of the European Commission DG Energy. The study analysed only parts of the so-called MEErP methodology (Methodology for Energy related Products, DG ENTR 2011). The information provided can serve as a preparation for subsequent phases, including the performance of a full preparatory study in accordance with the MEErP methodology. The study follows the European Commission’s MEErP methodology and consists of three tasks: 1. Quickscan (task 0 of the MEErP methodology); 2. Scope (task 1 of the MEErP methodology); 3. Scenarios (task 7, in part, of the MEErP methodology). Our findings in brief (in MEErP task order) are the following: Task 0 - Quickscan Task 0 is an optional task that is intended to be carried out in the case of large or inhomogeneous product groups, for which it is recommended to carry out a first product screening that takes into account the environmental impact and potential for improvement of the products, as referred to in Article 15 of the Ecodesign Directive. The objective of this task was to re-group or narrow the product scope, as appropriate, from an Ecodesign point of view, for subsequent analysis within the MEErP tasks 1 and 7 (part). In accordance with ISO 9229, thermal insulation products for buildings are defined as: "… factory made products in the form of rolls, bats, boards or slabs, with or without facings, or 'in-situ' applied materials, which have a primary function to reduce heat transfer through the structure against which, or in which, it is installed. Products covered by this definition may also be used in prefabricated thermal insulation systems and composite panels.” Excluded from the study are building materials (or components), of which the material that is responsible for a thermal performance is the same material that also fulfils other primary functions, such as structural integrity, (e.g. lightweight concrete, certain gypsum building blocks, and even straw bale construction could be mentioned here). For these products, a different Ecodesign study would apply, tackling all of the primary functions of the materials and their consequences with regard to the definition of potential Ecodesign measures. Special attention will have to be devoted to the definition of a functional unit that takes into account all primary functions or the definition of multiple ones covering the functions separately. Thermal insulation products intended to be used for the insulation of equipment and industrial installations are also excluded from this assessment, since the application and operating conditions of these 'equipment and installation' insulation products may be very different from the application as thermal insulation products for buildings, even though in many cases the same materials may be used. Reflective foils or the use of light-coloured materials/finishing are not considered as “insulation” solutions, rather solutions to prevent “heat absorption” through the building skin. Consequently, these products are not included in the scope of the study. 1 Furthermore, overheating needs to be 1 Reflective insulation, often called foil insulation is included in this study, as it is not only related to overheating – see page 2 for further information. 2013/TEM/R/38 II Summary considered at a building level, since it is influenced by many parameters: windows (surface, transmittance), thermal capacity, the location of the insulation material in the wall, etc. It appears to be difficult to define a single functional unit – to analyse and compare different thermal insulation solutions in an objective way – covering all functionalities and relations with the rest of the building. Establishing a definition of a reference system at building or building element level that takes into account different constructive solutions and that is applicable in all Member States of the European Union, is complex and time-consuming. For these reasons, the research team recommends defining the functional unit at product level and has communicated in the report about the restrictions that would apply when using a product-based approach. Although thermal insulation products for buildings are not easily defined or categorized, the Quickscan revealed strong indications that their economic and environmental importance is very significant. The volumes of sales and trades within this market are significant and exceed the threshold of 200 000 units (based on annual sales data from 2009 to 2011, according to the Prodcom2 categories). The major environmental impacts of insulation lie in the environmental benefits it provides during the use phase of the building in which it is installed (i.e. bringing about a reduction in the energy used by the building). Compared to the reduction of energy use in the use phase of the building, embodied impacts relating to the manufacturing and EOL of thermal insulation products are generally smaller. Furthermore, other building components often dominate the environmental profile of building elements and buildings. Nevertheless, in light of the 2019-2021 EPBD targets and the increase in insulation waste released as a result of demolition, the environmental impacts relating to manufacturing, replacement and end-of-life will gain in importance. However, it would be counter-productive if attempts to reduce the embodied impact of thermal insulation solutions led to an increase of energy consumption and therefore extended the payback time. Providing affordable and energy-efficient solutions is something that has to be considered for each building project separately. For each building application and building context, a balance must be achieved between low periodic operational energy costs due to sufficient thermal insulation (and choosing energy efficient technical services) and low initial costs due to the limitation of material and installation costs (and choosing technical services with a low investment cost). A same line of thinking can be used regarding environmental impacts. Furthermore the Quickscan resulted in the suggestion to exclude from this assessment building materials (or components) of which the material that is responsible for its thermal performance is the same material that also fulfils other primary functions such as structural integrity (e.g. lightweight concrete, certain gypsum building blocks, and even straw bale construction could be mentioned here). For those products, a
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