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Highlights • New super insulating materials based on aerogel tecnology. • Assessment of a new insulation material based on aerogel technology compatible with historic substrates and structures in the framework of the EC Project EFFESUS. • Definition of a test procedure for the steady-state thermal performance characterization of on a large scale inhomogeneous mock-up walls with the hot box method. • Comparison among different standard procedures and simulation results. Abstract Research and development of high thermal insulation materials for the construction sector requires an accurate characterization of the wall's performance, since that is the main causes of thermal exchanges between the internal and external boundaries. This paper presents a test procedure developed within the EU Project EFFESUS for evaluating the steady-state thermal performance of a masonry wall. A large-scale mock-up of the inhomogeneous wall was tested in a guarded hot box (GHB) apparatus before and after the application of an aerogel-based material. The methodology proposed in this paper is structured in the following steps: (i) definition of the wall geometry and the percentage of stone and mortar, using walls' photographic records and geometrical surveys; (ii) precise thermal characterization of the material used; (iii) hygrothermal assessment procedure based on infrared technology (IRT) survey, gravimetric test, and monitoring of the internal relative humidity (RH); (iv) steady-state and dynamic thermal simulation; and (v) detailed set-up of the test using the data retrieved from the thermal surveys and simulations. According to the results of IRT surveys and the dynamic simulations, the mock-up was divided into thermal homogeneous parts, verifying the uniformity of the surface temperature and the heat flux in an isothermal area. This approach was validated both for low and high energy performance walls. Results show that the thermal flux was reduced to one third after the application of the aerogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and development of cost-effective, high-performance thermal insulation materials for the construction sector has to be focused on their final application. In particular, solutions for refurbishing historic buildings, which represent 40% of the European building stock, have to offer a good compromise between environmental quality, energy efficiency and conservation aspects. In this paper, the experimental assessment of an insulation material based on aerogel technology, recently developed in the European project EFFESUS, is presented with regard to the material's thermal performance, compatibility with historic fabric and reversibility. The overall results obtained in laboratory testing on a real-size mock-up and in a real-world case application indicate that the new material is a promising solution for retrofitting historic buildings, thanks to its thermal properties, easy application, reversibility and material compatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]