Propiedades térmicas e hídricas de materiales aislantes apropiadas para fábricas históricas = Thermal and hygric properties of insulation materials suitable for historic fabrics

Improving the thermal performance of buildings by retrofitting insulation can reduce unnecessary heat loss and building operational energy minimising environmental impact. Internal thermal insulation is often favoured for historic buildings to preserve their features. However, internal insulation may increase moisture accumulation in walls undermining their durability. There is a lack of knowledge on the performance of historic solid walls and the impact of internal insulation in their hygrothermal behaviour. This paper investigates the thermal and hygric properties of seven internal insulation options including thermal paint, aerogel (AG), cork lime (CL), hemp lime (HL), calcium silicate board (CSB), timber fibre board (TFB) and polyisocyanurate (PIR) board. Their properties are compared with a traditional lime plaster. The PIR and aerogel AG show outstanding thermal properties that contribute towards indoor thermal comfort and energy savings and the CL and HL are vapour permeable and capillary active. They have approximately double the thermal mass of the other insulations. In addition, the CL has a good thermal inertia (2nd lowest diffusivity) and, in spite of ist organic content, a low adsorption at high RH.