The Effects of Thermal Bridging inMulti Family Buildings

Building Efficiency at the Balcony Schöck Innovative Building Solutions Balconies enhance our views and extend buildings with a panoramic outdoor space. And while balconies provide aesthetic advantages, they often require extensive repairs and upkeep. The most common problem with balconies is thermal bridging which causes cold floors, energy loss, and condensation damage with potential mold growth. What is a thermal bridge? Thermal bridges are localized areas with higher thermal conductivity than their neighboring areas. Heat flow takes the easiest path. The thermal bridging issue has a long history of damages relating to leaky balconies and building envelope failures. How we identify thermal bridges? Figure 1 Using thermal imaging cameras, thermal bridges will appear as areas of higher temperature when viewed from the exterior of a building. This is 50% shown in Figure 1 where higher energy loss in buildings is temperatures (i.e. thermal bridges) around the door, window and balcony accounted to slab can be seen due to higher heat thermal bridges transfer through the building. Major Maintenance and renewal costs for buildings DISTRIBUTION OF THE 30-YEAR CAPITAL LOAD, BY SYSTEM, WITHIN A SINGLE BUILDING Current Value Future Value $ 4M $ 3M $ 2M $ 1M $0 Electrical Mechanical Fire Elevators Finishes Amenities Site work ENCLOSURE protection 3% 17% 2% 8% 2% of all capital funding Major maintenance and 58% 1-16.m requirements is renewal costs for buildings represented by enclosure system include balcony membrane and sealants in the first years Balconies as a feature versus issue The solution to balcony construction issues is quite simple with innovative construction methods for balconies, which add a creative facet to durable design. WITHOUT THERMAL BREAK 0° F 70°F -17.8° C 21.1° C 52.6° F 11.5° C WITH THERMAL BREAK 0° F 70°F -17.8° C 21.1° C 63.7° F 17.6° C °F 23 34 46 70 °C -17.8 -5 1.1 7.8 21.1 ENERGY LOSS IN THE BALCONY 3.0 2.2 2.0 1.0 0.17 0.0 Thermal conductivity keg in W / (m · K) 90% Compared to non-insulated connections, structural thermal break elements reduces energy loss in the balcony up to 13°F 11% Structural thermal breaks can Structural thermal breaks increase surface temperatures can reduce heat loss by by up to 14% 75% Structural thermal breaks reduce Compared to a conventional operating costs for heating with savings in energy costs of up to continuous balcony, structural thermal breaks cut heat flow through and around the slab by Sustainable-luxury for the future Providing energy efficient construction with Isokorb® structural thermal breaks demonstrates dedication to quality and comfort in your properties. It is time to future-proof your buildings for upcoming code changes by preparing to stay one step ahead with Schöck Isokorb®. Performance and Value Add from Schöck Isokorb® Sources Oxford Brookes in UK Morrison Hershfield Rdh Research and Energy Group http://rdh.com/expensive-assets-replace/ Schock Research Reports http://www.schock-us.com/upload/documents/ $ 279.000 $ 199.000 $ 107.000 $ 80.000 $ 524.000 $ 366.000 $ 416.000 $ 300.000 $ 110.000 $ 77.000 $ 1.062.000 $ 892.000 $ 159.000 $ 118.000 $ 3.710.000 $ 2.547.000