Calculation of thermal bridges in Luxembourg
What is a thermal bridge calculation in Luxembourg ?
Let’s first start explaining a thermal bridge. A thermal bridge is a zone including the temperature of conduction (hot or cold) of a material. This term thermal bridge is mainly used in the constructions and the housing sector, especially when one is interested in isolation problems.
Before beginning to isolate, a thermal bridge represented about 10 to 20% of the total loss of a building. Now, while isolating, the percentage of the losses through a wall has fallen sharply, and the thermal bridges increased.
Thermal bridges are areas of high heat loss. It is important to limit them and improve like this the thermal effect of a building.
These heat losses require a big amount of additional heating and thus higher energy consumption. Moreover, if we don’t take into account these losses due to thermal bridges, the heating system may be undersized.
Thermal bridges cause a temperature difference between ambient air and the floor surface. This difference of temperature causes a risk of condensations on the surface: The walls become wet. As the buildings are very resistant, the air exchange between the inside and outside is limited and the walls remain like that wet. As a consequence, mold can appear. This creates an unpleasant appearance, bad odors and sometimes the development of allergies in some individuals. That’s why a thermal bridge calculation should be included in a period of planning.
Thermal bridges are not inevitable and it is possible to fight eliminate them or at least minimize their effects.
