Multi-Comfort Buildings: A Solution for Cities with 90% Energy Savings

8 November is celebrated annually around the world and in Turkey as World Urban Development Day. On this special day, which addresses urbanism in all aspects and aims for its development, İzocam highlighted the role of correct insulation applications using appropriate materials in correct thicknesses in accordance with standards, in energy efficiency, thermal insulation, sound insulation and fire safety in buildings, as well as their effects on the health of people living in buildings and the quality of their living environments.

Adopting energy efficiency as the most important agenda item, İzocam emphasizes on 8 November World Urban Development Day that multi-comfort building designs and correct insulation applications provide the highest possible level of energy efficiency. Insulation drawing attention to the significant contribution that energy efficiency achieved through insulation will make to the country's economy, İzocam believes that the highest level of energy efficiency is achieved with multi-comfort buildings and that urban renewal presents a major opportunity in this context. In 2017, Turkey paid more than USD 37 billion for energy raw material imports. The cost of energy imports to the country's economy over the past 10 years exceeds USD 400 billion. Approximately three-quarters of consumed energy is imported from abroad, and energy imports constitute the most important part of the trade deficit. Saving on energy expenditures, reducing the current account deficit to lower levels, and reducing excessive external dependence on energy make energy savings in buildings of great importance. Buildings insulated with correct materials are the biggest step for energy savings, and the solution providing the highest energy savings is multi-comfort buildings.

The Solution Providing Highest Energy Savings: Multi-Comfort Buildings

"Multi-Comfort Buildings," derived from the concept of near-zero energy homes and aimed at bioclimatic design, taking into account sustainable, ecological, economic and social factors, provide maximum thermal comfort along with high energy savings. Multi-Comfort Buildings, which provide flawless acoustic and visual comfort, high-quality indoor air, fire protection and safety, and can incorporate extremely flexible design solutions both indoors and outdoors, aim for at least 90 percent energy savings. Urban renewal creates an important opportunity, particularly for rapid and safe renewal of unqualified housing stock in chaotic construction, achieving effective energy efficiency, and gaining access to a healthy environmental setting. Construction of new buildings with thermal and sound insulation, high energy efficiency, and fire safety will reduce energy consumption. Multi-Comfort Buildings stand out in İzocam's campaign against noise pollution, which it expresses as "quiet cities." To avoid the stress caused by urban noise, among the measures that can be taken is keeping noise away from living and working spaces where people spend considerable time. In developed cities, people spend 90 percent of their time in enclosed spaces. It is necessary to take precautions against both the urban noise coming from outside and the noise generated inside the building. Preventing noise between rooms and street noise in homes, worker health in factories, and providing quiet working environments in offices become possible with Multi-Comfort conditions. Multi-Comfort building conditions, in addition to these, serve to protect special areas for correct acoustic applications and prevention of sound transmission in places where theatre, cinema, concert and similar cultural events are held. In achieving the desired silence in these spaces, correct insulation applications with appropriate products are important not only in the outer facade insulation but also in the internal wall surfaces, partitions and between floors of structures. İzocam's stone wool and glass wool products, which are effective in creating "quiet cities," offer compelling solutions for sound insulation with their sound-absorbing properties.

Insulation - Human Health Relationship

Focusing on the importance of insulation in energy efficiency, thermal insulation, sound insulation and fire safety, İzocam also drew attention to the fact that people living in buildings without insulation or with incorrect insulation applications experience health problems and economic disadvantages due to excessive heat loss in the building, noise and lack of fire safety. Emphasizing that insulation should be addressed at the project stage, İzocam stressed the positive effects of living in insulated buildings on human health, stating that buildings should be designed taking into account not only construction costs but also operating costs. Both the preservation of buildings, the protection of the health of people living in these buildings, and people having good living conditions in the buildings they live in are only possible with correct insulation applications in the buildings.

Effects of Insulation on Human Health

*The comfort value of a residence, home, or room is determined by the delicate balance between human and room temperature. The radiative balance between humans and the environment being correct is more important than the room temperature level. *Cold outer walls not only disrupt the radiative balance; like windows, they reduce room temperature. Cold air movement caused by cold windows and uninsulated walls and floors creates a disturbing environment and can lead to various diseases. *Although external structural elements are designed not to allow water condensation on their inner surfaces, in buildings without insulation or with incorrect insulation application, condensation is observed in kitchens and bathrooms with high water vapor as well as in rooms with limited heating. Condensed water causes complete wetting of external structural elements and thus a reduction in heat protection efficiency and odor formation. Moisture, mold, and odor, which are harmful to health, can be prevented with correct insulation that can noticeably increase the surface temperature of external structural elements. *In summer, insufficient thermal insulation also results in undesirable environments from a health and comfort perspective. Walls facing south and west store solar radiation significantly. If there is no qualified thermal insulation board on the outer wall, a significant portion of this heat mass enters the room from the outer wall and temperatures can reach unbearable levels. This increases the cooling load and energy consumption for cooling.