A Comprehensive Comparison of Insulation Materials for Timber Building Systems

Bernardino M. Rocha, Marina Tenório, Jorge M. Branco and Sandra M. Silva ()
Additional contact information
Bernardino M. Rocha: Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Engineering Structures (ISISE), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Marina Tenório: Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Engineering Structures (ISISE), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Jorge M. Branco: Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Engineering Structures (ISISE), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Sandra M. Silva: Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Engineering Structures (ISISE), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-32

Abstract: The key objectives of both European Union and Portuguese policies are energy efficiency and carbon neutrality in the building sector. Timber construction offers unique advantages in achieving these goals, such as increased productivity through faster and more efficient building processes, using renewable resources with lower carbon emissions during production and throughout the lifecycle, and contributions to forest conservation. However, in many countries, timber construction remains underutilised due to concerns about its thermal and acoustic performance, fire safety, and limited availability of raw materials. This study addresses these challenges by evaluating the potential of various insulation materials, including polystyrenes, mineral wools, natural fibres, composites, and acoustic mats, for incorporation into prefabricated timber components. Key performance criteria included thermal insulation, sound absorption, fire reaction, environmental impact, and local availability. Among the materials analysed, glass wool, rock wool, and cork emerged as the most favourable options, offering excellent thermal and acoustic performance and presenting strong results in other key parameters. These findings underscore the potential of incorporating these materials into timber construction systems, contributing to developing sustainable and high-performance building solutions.

Keywords: timber buildings; prefabricated timber systems; insulation materials; acoustic insulation; thermal insulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2420/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2420/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:10:p:2420-:d:1651684

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().