Fahimeh Rezvani and Ignacio Zabalza, researchers from the University of Zaragoza, have recently used our gSKIN sensors to analyze the deviations between actual and modeled house thermal performance. The paper is published in the journal Revista de la Construccion, available to download for free.

Researchers compared in-site measurements using greenTEG’s sensors with the U-Value calculations retrieved by software programs (a common practice in the industry). After several measurements under different conditions, the study showed that in situ U-Value measurements are more accurate, especially in old buildings where calculation software programs do not offer appropriate tools to model old buildings. 

The paper also stated the importance of accurate U-Value assessment as part of an EU-wide new policy approach to environmental sustainability. The European Commission is committed to cutting CO2 emissions by 80% relative to 1990 levels by 2050 (recently this was even sharpened with the “climate-neutral by 2050 vision”). In line with the above, the European Directive 2010/31/EU establishes that all new buildings constructed in the EU from 2020 onwards should be nearly zero-energy buildings, promoting the thermal envelope improvement, the use of high-efficiency energy equipment and renewable technologies.

At greenTEG, we congratulate both researchers for this study. It clearly shows that measuring the U-Value is always better than calculating, especially when we are working with old structures where we might not know the thermal properties of the building materials. If you want more information regarding this topic, we have created a whitepaper covering the topic of the performance gap in building physics, free to download in our website.

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