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Two infrared reflective coatings recently developed as part of the EFFESUS European research project are characterized and evaluated in this paper. Thermal performance, durability, compatibility with historic fabric, and reversibility are all analysed. The results of extensive research that include laboratory analysis of selected substrates, measurements on a large-scale traditional masonry mock-up, thermodynamic simulations, and finally application in to a real historic building in Istanbul, all support the potential of the new coatings to improve the thermal performance of historic buildings, in keeping with their visual integrity and cultural value. Besides their reflective properties, proven by the thermal stress reductions on the treated surfaces, the new coatings are characterized by low visual impact, easy application, material compatibility, and reversibility after application, as well as durability over time. [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]

Uncalibrated building energy models, as well as models calibrated only on a single performance indicator such as energy consumption or indoor temperature, can be significantly unreliable regarding model parameters and other performance indicators. The risk of obtaining a calibrated model whose parameters are far from the actual values is particularly high in historic buildings because of the increased uncertainty about the building construction. In this paper, we propose a calibration methodology aimed at reducing this risk and apply it on a medieval building. The building was modeled in EnergyPlus based on an energy audit. A sensitivity analysis was performed to identify significant parameters affecting the errors between simulated and monitored indoor air temperatures. The model was calibrated on the hourly indoor air temperatures in summer by minimizing the root mean square error averaged over the building using a particle swarm optimization algorithm. A second calibration was performed by varying the parameters of a representative room. By comparing the results from these two calibrations, we obtained indications about the accuracy of the model parameters. Finally, the model was validated on hourly indoor air and surface temperatures in winter where temperature root mean square errors ranged from 0.4 to 0.8 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]