Anti-Insulation in Building Energy Consumption; Comparison of Eight Climates of Iran

Recent energy-saving policies in Iran led to more insulation implementation in buildings. Therefore, the occurrence of anti-insulation increases in the building industry. The anti-insulation phenomenon is the reverse function of insulation that causes cooling energy increment rather than energy saving. This phenomenon is an important and effective factor in energy consumption and the resident’s comfort. However, it has not been considered in thermal insulation studies worthily. Therefore, in this study, the anti-insulation occurrence temperature set-point is detected under eight climates of Iran by simulation in the EnergyPlus software. Four thickness of polystyrene insulation is evaluated under three insulating methods including external, mid and internal insulation. Results indicate that the anti-insulation occurs in six climates of Iran. Furthermore, cold and marine climates are more likely to anti-insulation occurrence than hot climates. The anti-insulation happens at a lower temperature by increasing the insulation thickness. In external insulation, due to usage of the wall’s thermal mass, anti-insulation occurs in high temperatures compared with mid and internal insulation methods.