Energy and exergy analysis of building envelope with different sustainable insulation materials

Sustainable insulation materials have demonstrated potential for enhancing building energy efficiency while maintaining thermal comfort. Traditionally, the energy efficiency of buildings and the insulating effects of these materials on the building envelope have been evaluated through energy analysis, which mainly focuses on quantifying total energy consumption. However, the application of exergy analysis offers a more comprehensive evaluation of the building envelope’s energy efficiency. Therefore, this study analyzes the energy and exergy performance of the building envelope with different sustainable insulation materials on the Winter period for 24-h using MATLAB. The results indicate that sustainable insulation materials significantly improve the energy efficiency of the building envelope. This study provides a more comprehensive insight into evaluating the energy efficiency of building envelopes, not only by measuring energy use but also by assessing the effectiveness and quality of the insulation.