Enhancing Energy Efficiency with Insulation Materials in Taipei, Taiwan Residential Redevelopment

Abstract

This thesis aims to identify insulation materials and building construction factors that can lower carbon dioxide (CO2) usage for residential redevelopment in Taipei and New Taipei, Taiwan. The growth in energy usage over the last 50 years has been explosive; most of Taiwan’s electricity (89.9%) is generated from non-renewable sources. The subtropical climate of Taiwan is mostly hot and humid, and cooling accounts for the largest portion of residential power consumption, particularly in the aging housing stock that is largely uninsulated. I focused on identifying the best insulation materials in terms of low embodied energy and their potential to lower operational energy use. In this paper, I developed a simulation model to test different parameters such as insulation material, material thickness, building orientation, and window wall ratio, and evaluate their effects on insulation energy efficiency. The goals of this thesis are to 1) find insulation materials that have low embodied and operational energy in Taiwan in order to install them in old housing stock and 2) mitigate the amount of CO2 produced by building cooling and heating needs. Improving the thermal envelope in new and re-developed housing in Taiwan has the potential to decrease residential energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions from electricity usage in residential buildings 9.72%-35%, reduce heating and cooling costs and improve the quality of life for the people of Taiwan.