Sustainable building - in particular, it is important to reduce CO2 emissions from the construction and use of buildings to a minimum. The facade also plays a major role. Basically, it ensures that as little energy as possible is lost in the form of heat.
If the entire building is subjected to an examination, the main influencing factors are the wall formers used, the type of insulation material and the subsequent final coating. To illustrate how the use of different insulation systems can reduce the carbon footprint, Caparol recently compared four of its façade insulation systems.
Capatect COMFORT LIGHT II based on mineral wool, Capatect PERFORMANCE PUR and Capatect DESIGN PUR based on polyurethane and Capatect ECONOMY GREEN based on polystyrene were compared. The starting point for the comparison was the Capatect COMFORT BASIC façade system based on mineral wool.
Different footprints: Insulation plate and final coating play a major role
The comparison reveals different footprints of the insulation systems – largely due to differences in the insulation panels, but also due to the use of different end coatings.
Insulation systems with mineral wool have the largest carbon footprint due to their current manufacturing processes. When using Capatect COMFORT LIGHT II with the up to 30% lighter Capatect MW insulation board 035 LIGHT 145, this is already reduced. A total of 1. 4 tonnes of CO2 eq can be saved on a facade area of 1,000 m2, which corresponds to the CO2 storage capacity of more than 1 tree*.
PUR superstructures: less CO2, more living space
Furthermore, the comparison shows that PUR superstructures have a lower carbon footprint than systems with mineral wool. Due to the slim system design, this insulation material generates more living space and at the same time reduces the use of materials.
With a façade area of 1,000 m2, the system design of Capatect PERFORMANCE PUR results in CO2 savings of just under 4. 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which corresponds to the CO2 storage capacity of about 4 trees*. The Capatect Design PUR system, on the other hand, offers no CO2 savings compared to the original COMFORT BASIC system. The reason is that the clinker belts used as the final coating are very energy-intensive in production, which consumes the positive CO2 effect of the PUR insulation board. In total, the system produces 2. 8 tonnes more CO2 equivalent than the original system – i. e. almost 3 more trees.
EPS bodies have the lowest CO2 footprint
Polystyrene is at the forefront: With a saving of around 11. 2 tonnes of CO2 eq on a facade area of 1,000 m2 – equivalent to the CO2 storage capacity of more than 11 trees* – EPS insulation panels have the lowest CO2 footprint. Systems based on polystyrene insulation panels offer advantages not only in terms of easy processing, but also in terms of CO2. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to which system offers the most advantages. Rather, it is always an object-specific trade-off between fire protection behaviour, performance, design and the possibilities of a new building or a renovation measure.
*Each tree stores an average of 1 tonne of CO2 eq during its lifetime
You can find more information about the facade insulation systems from Caparol in Hall 7, Stand 528 or via this link.
