Plus energy house in Bottrop features VIPs

VIPs were used to solve three specific problems: insulating the cellar ceiling, the outer walls and the roller shutter casings. In the RWE house in Bottrop, as with many other renovations, a requirement for highperformance insulation materials arose on short notice. Since the cellar level had a smaller ceiling height, which was common for houses in the 60’s, conventional insulation could not be used for the renovation. Thanks to VIP, the cellar ceiling could be excellently insulated due to the very strong insulation performance of the panels, with a rated value of 0,007 W/(m*K). The insulation thickness of 40mm (relating to the VIP) which was used therefore corresponds with a realized U-value through the insulation of 0,175 W/(m²*K).

While removing the outer wall layers, it was noticed that there was not enough space behind several roll shutter casings to be able to achieve the required insulation performance with conventional insulation materials. The insulation of and around roller shutters or venetian blind casings is often a thermal bridge problem which occurs in construction, as these are mostly integrated in the building envelope, thus leaving very little space for insulation. To solve this “short-notice” problem, the renovation team decided to use VIPs. These came in boxes of 10 panels from stock which is ready-to-use for construction sites and available in different formats (100×50, 50×50, 50×25 and 25×25 cm). The panels allow for an uncomplicated and easy delivery to the construction site within a very short time. They were supplemented with a highly insulating PU strip (100×12,5 cm).