Energy Study for Improving Building Enclosure Performance

Please note: The attached file below contains a paper from the BEST5 conference that is linked to a conference presentation in pdf format. Open with Adobe Acrobat for best results.

Buildings in the United States contribute to an average of 41% of the national energy use and 38% of all CO2 emissions. Building enclosure retrofit of existing building stock represents a significant opportunity to improve sustainability. Sustainability rests on three key pillars: economic responsibility, environmental responsibility, and social responsibility. Building enclosure retrofits can contribute to all three pillars of sustainability by providing significant energy savings and increased occupancy rates (economic), aesthetic and occupant comfort improvements (social), and reduced carbon footprint (environmental).

Understanding which types of buildings are the best retrofit candidates, and which types of retrofit options can provide the best return on investment are key to developing optimized retrofit solutions. This paper presents an engineering study on the impact of EIFS over-cladding of existing wall assemblies as an energy retrofit option. The impact of EIFS over-cladding is studied for prototype pre-1980's vintage office and hotel buildings in three different US cities (Atlanta, Baltimore and Chicago), representing three climate zones (Zone 3A, Zone 4A, and Zone 5A). The use of EIFS over-cladding wall retrofit is studied in combination and in comparison with window and roof retrofit options to understand the relative benefits of various retrofit options as both stand-alone options or in combination.