The impact of workmanship on the thermal performance of cavity walls with rigid insulation boards: where are we today?

In the second step of the research, the air flow resistances of the observed air flow paths (e.g. air gap between inner leaf and insulation board, tongue and groove connection of the insulation boards,…) have been measured in laboratory conditions. The characterization of these air flow resistances allows modelling the thermal behaviour of these elements in a following step. Numerical simulations, taking both heat and air transport into account, have been conducted to assess the performance of today's levels of workmanship. Based on this numerical parameter study, recommendations are proposed to obtain optimal thermal performance in cavity walls.