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External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 18794

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bartosz Michałowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research and Development Center Atlas, Lodz, Poland
Interests: green chemistry; sustainable development; sustainable building materials; external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS); life cycle assessment (LCA); environmental impacts; environmental product declarations (EPD); social responsibility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are all facing adverse effects related to progressive environmental degradation. Protection and preservation of natural capital and care of people’s health and well-being, underlie the concept of sustainable development and represent some of the most critical challenges facing the world. Each day, we observe an unprecedented growth of interest in renewable resources and sustainable energy. Nevertheless, we still have to learn how to use them efficiently and responsibly.

As a result of social and political actions, construction has become a leading branch of the economy that impacts the issue of energy use and the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions. Without sustainable construction, there is no sustainable development. Unquestionably, buildings consume a significant amount of energy. Thus, investments in thermal insulation in the building sector can have an immense impact on the improvement of the energetic efficiency of buildings and reduce the use of final energy in this sector. The use of an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) is a solution for the thermal insulation of the outer walls of both new and existing buildings. ETICS is a kit composed of elements that consist of specifically manufactured prefabricated components being applied directly to the facade. The diversity of its application depends on the legal, urban, and climatic conditions. ETICS offers a simple solution when applied adequately: reduction of the heating/cooling cost, improvement of building the ability to heat accumulation, improved operation long-term durability, and protection against the direct influence of atmospheric conditions. 

In the European Union, ETICS is also a construction product within the Construction Products Regulation's meaning. Despite the importance of environmental issues and widespread use of ETICS, the number of scientific papers related to its sustainability, impact on pollution reduction, and use of energy are relatively small. This Special Issue welcomes general and specific contributions that address ETICS and its requirement for a circular economy strategy and supporting consumer decision-making processes.

The primary focus of this Specials Issue is to present state-of-the-art ETICS design and highlight the most challenging aspects related to its impact on the energetic efficiency, environment, society, and comfort of living. Special attention will be paid to those contributions that consider the disadvantages and advantages of methods used to compare ETICS environmental impacts and assess its long-term durability and performance. 

Dr. Bartosz Michałowski
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cost-effectiveness
  • decision-making
  • energy efficiency
  • environmental benefits
  • environmental impacts
  • environmental product declarations (EPD)
  • external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)
  • insulation materials
  • life cycle assessment (LCA) long-term durability
  • performance
  • raw materials
  • sustainability
  • sustainable design
  • sustainable renovation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8165 KiB  
Article
Understanding Sustainability of Construction Products: Answers from Investors, Contractors, and Sellers of Building Materials
by Jacek Michalak and Bartosz Michałowski
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3042; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053042 - 4 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2562
Abstract
Preventing environmental degradation and climate changes are some of the primary challenges of our civilization. Changes to the construction sector, which consumes vast amounts of raw materials, emits significant amounts of greenhouse gas and significant amounts of waste, are very important to reduce [...] Read more.
Preventing environmental degradation and climate changes are some of the primary challenges of our civilization. Changes to the construction sector, which consumes vast amounts of raw materials, emits significant amounts of greenhouse gas and significant amounts of waste, are very important to reduce emissions and stop negative environmental changes. Regardless of the type of goal, an essential element to achieve it is understanding the purpose and tools necessary to implement appropriate and efficient solutions. This paper presents the survey results on understanding issues related to assessing construction products, including their environmental impact. The survey was conducted among professional groups related to construction, i.e., 181 investors, 522 contractors, and 116 sellers of construction products from various regions of Poland. Questions concerning thermal insulation materials and the external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS), the most widely used solution in the EU for the improvement of thermal performance of buildings, were asked. The obtained results indicate that the knowledge of the basic requirements of construction works under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) is not too high (the share of correct answers was respectively 33.5%, 23.2%, and 16.2% in contractors, sellers, and investors groups). Similarly, the awareness of the tested, related to the environmental burden in terms of GWP of insulation materials and components of ETICS, should be assessed (49.7% of investors, 57.1% sellers of construction products, and 76.4% contractors indicated the thermal insulation material as the ETICS component with the highest environmental impact in terms of GWP). The obtained research results indicate the need for further education for evaluating construction products and sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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15 pages, 57765 KiB  
Article
Fire Safety of External Thermal Insulation Systems (ETICS) in the Aspect of Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
by Małgorzata Niziurska, Michał Wieczorek and Klaudiusz Borkowicz
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1224; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031224 - 21 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3659
Abstract
External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) are the most common technical solution to improve the thermal efficiency of existing buildings. In the light of the applicable regulations, ETICS are kits that apply only one type of thermal insulation material. All typically used ETICS [...] Read more.
External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) are the most common technical solution to improve the thermal efficiency of existing buildings. In the light of the applicable regulations, ETICS are kits that apply only one type of thermal insulation material. All typically used ETICS introduced into the market classify as non-combustible. Despite that, the emerging recommendations in some countries point to the need for the introduction of barriers of non-combustible material such as mineral wool (MW) around the openings and horizontal isolation barriers around the building between different floors to prevent fast fire spread. That raises an important question: Do MW partitions significantly improve the fire safety of the building and balance other aspects such as the sustainability and durability of such combined insulation materials with different properties? Here, we assessed the impact of MW partitions in EPS-based ETICS on the spread of the fire according to the requirements of BS 8414-1: 2020. Four different variants were investigated. The study showed slight differences in average temperatures and the size of the polystyrene melting area for various insulation variants with the introduced horizontal MW partitions. The introduction of MW partitions shows no significant benefits or improvement of fire safety of the investigated ETICS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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18 pages, 1920 KiB  
Article
External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) from Industry and Academia Perspective
by Jacek Michalak
Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13705; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413705 - 11 Dec 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4407
Abstract
External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) is a commonly used solution in EU countries to increase building energy efficiency. The article describes ETICS in terms of environmental impact from two perspectives, i.e., industry and academia. In EU countries, ETICS manufacturers to place construction [...] Read more.
External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) is a commonly used solution in EU countries to increase building energy efficiency. The article describes ETICS in terms of environmental impact from two perspectives, i.e., industry and academia. In EU countries, ETICS manufacturers to place construction products to the market must subject it to the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP). The basis of this process is the European Technical Assessment (ETA). Based on the number of issued and valid ETAs for ETICS and the number of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), the dimension of sustainability issues was discussed. Analysis of one of the environmental indicators (Global Warming Potential—GWP) for ETICS with EPS, XPS, and MW showed only a general trend. However, there are significant differences between the values of the GWP and other environmental indicators that one can use for future AVCP of construction products. In the light of the research described in the paper, it seems reasonable to conclude that AVCP for ETICS in terms of sustainability will be challenging to implement in practice-based only on environmental indicators according to EN 15804. The article also reviews scientific publications on the sustainability of ETICS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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9 pages, 2948 KiB  
Article
Resistance of ETICS with Fire Barriers to Cyclic Hygrothermal Impact
by Rosita Norvaišienė, Paweł Krause, Vincent Buhagiar and Arūnas Burlingis
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9220; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169220 - 17 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1904
Abstract
The article presents the results of a set of hygrothermal experiments of an external wall insulated with an ETICS. As an add-on to previous studies, thermal insulation in the form of polystyrene with an additional horizontal strip of mineral wool was used. Laboratory [...] Read more.
The article presents the results of a set of hygrothermal experiments of an external wall insulated with an ETICS. As an add-on to previous studies, thermal insulation in the form of polystyrene with an additional horizontal strip of mineral wool was used. Laboratory tests were carried out in accordance with ETAG 004. The ETICS test rig was composed of combustible expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) and horizontal strips of noncombustible mineral wool (MW) fire barriers over windows. The physical and mechanical properties of four types of finishing renders (without an additional reinforcement mesh in base coat of the fire barriers) were analyzed across full hygrothermal cycles in a climate chamber. Temperature sensors were mounted onto different ETICS layers to collect thermal data during the weathering. The testing of ETICS regarding their hygrothermal performance revealed that there were no visible defects on any renderings and over the junctions depending on the type of used insulation materials. Results also showed that the joints of EPS and MW have approximately half of their bond strength from polystyrene strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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18 pages, 3016 KiB  
Article
Condition-Based Maintenance Strategies to Enhance the Durability of ETICS
by Cláudia Ferreira, Ana Silva, Jorge de Brito, Ilídio S. Dias and Inês Flores-Colen
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126677 - 11 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2377
Abstract
The increase of awareness with sustainability and the desire of reducing the energy consumption in the construction sector haved increased the application of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) across Europe in the last decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of appropriate maintenance strategies is [...] Read more.
The increase of awareness with sustainability and the desire of reducing the energy consumption in the construction sector haved increased the application of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) across Europe in the last decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of appropriate maintenance strategies is still neglected. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of different maintenance strategies. For that purpose, a condition-based maintenance model, based on Petri nets, is used to evaluate three maintenance strategies: MS1—total replacement only; MS2—combination of minor intervention and total replacement; and MS3—combination of cleaning operations, minor intervention, and total replacement. In the end, a multi-criteria analysis is used to discuss the impact of the three maintenance strategies proposed, evaluating the remaining service life, the global costs over time, the ETICS’ degradation condition, and the number of replacements (end of service life) over the time horizon. For this purpose, a sample of 378 ETICS was analysed, based on in situ visual inspections, carried out in Portugal. The results from this study reveal that maintenance plays an important role to increase the durability of ETICS, and therefore their sustainability. Regular maintenance can promote the extension of the ETICS’s service life between 88% and 159% (between 15 to 27 years), improve the global degradation condition of the ETICS, and reduce the impact on users by reducing the number of deeper interventions. Further research is essential to optimise the maintenance strategies (time interval between inspections, stakeholders’ performance criteria, and environmental exposure). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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13 pages, 1606 KiB  
Article
Environmental Footprint of Cementitious Adhesives—Components of ETICS
by Sebastian Czernik, Marta Marcinek, Bartosz Michałowski, Michał Piasecki, Justyna Tomaszewska and Jacek Michalak
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8998; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218998 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2219
Abstract
Energy saving is one of the strategic challenges facing our civilization today. Without decisive actions to reduce energy consumption, it is impossible to maintain the current standard of living. Energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes is one of the primary energy consumption [...] Read more.
Energy saving is one of the strategic challenges facing our civilization today. Without decisive actions to reduce energy consumption, it is impossible to maintain the current standard of living. Energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes is one of the primary energy consumption sources in many countries. The external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS), which is today the most widely used solution in EU countries, increases buildings’ energy efficiency. This article investigates the impact of producing cementitious adhesives, as part of ETICS with expanded polystyrene (EPS) or mineral wool (MW), on the natural environment using the cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Cementitious adhesives have a relatively low impact on most of the environmental indicators analyzed in the paper concerning other ETICS components. The paper aims to raise awareness of the importance of the environmental impact related to the production of cementitious adhesives. Knowledge of the construction products’ environmental impact is fundamental for creating reliable databases, based on which, in the future, their environmental requirements will be determined. The environmental performance of building elements is essential for the correct determination of the buildings’ sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy)
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