Hello,
I'm working on a project to evaluate alternatives for energy efficient
renovations to an existing old brick mill (built 1910), total floor area of
160,000 sf. The building is located in VT, currently has no wall
insulation, and about 33% window to wall ratio. My client is interested in
what has been accomplished in regards to energy efficiency (and renewable
energy) on other similar projects. If you know of or have worked on old
brick buildings that have been renovated to drastically reduce energy use,
I'd be interested in hearing about the project.
Thank You,
Karen Walkerman
There's lots of work published on energy efficient renovations in old masonry buildings. Being Vermont, you want to make sure you start with a hygrothermal analysis of what can be safely done in terms of heat, air and moisture management. Check with Joe Lstiburek at Building Science Corporation in Boston, or John Straube at the University of Waterloo. In my experience, energy consumption can be safely and economically reduced by at least 50%, more if you can control air leakage and introduce heat recovery. If you are willing to consider overcladding, then the thermal mass of the structure will further reduce energy consumption while stabilizing the thermal regime. In one case study I performed, I discovered that massive, masonry buildings could be retrofit to be greener in terms of energy efficiency than some of our greenest new buildings. After all, what client would pay for so much thermal mass inboard of the insulation when they often fail to fund steel stud assemblies properly?
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Dr. Ted Kesik, P.Eng.