THE EFFECT OF INSULATION ON ENERGY SAVINGS AND COSTS FOR THE CURRENT BUILDING INVENTORY IN TURKEY

The current building inventory in Turkey includes a large number of uninsulated buildings. By insulating these buildings, the required heating energy is decreased, and significant energy savings are achieved. Within the country, the standard "Thermal Insulation Requirements for Buildings" was placed into effect in buildings in the year 2000 and divided the country into four climatic regions. The optimum insulation thickness in buildings changes as a function of the region, type of insulation material and fuel. In this study, the implemented insulation thickness according to the "Thermal Insulation Requirements for Buildings" standard is calculated for the four different regions of Turkey for expanded polystyrene insulation material. The current building inventory in Turkey was taken from the State Institute of Statistics (Prime Ministry, Republic of Turkey). Energy savings, costs and payback period are calculated by the P-1-P-2 method for the current building' inventory, using XPS insulation in all buildings and natural gas as the fuel for the heating energy requirements. The results are shown in the figures for the four different Climatic regions, and the effect of the current building inventory distribution around the country is determined.