The Role and Place of Traditional Chimney System Solutions in Environmental Progress and in Reducing Energy Consumption

Abstract

Buildings, energy, and the environment are key issues facing construction around the world. The energy efficiency of buildings is a key topic when it comes to reducing the world’s energy consumption, releasing harmful gases, and global climate change, as they consume about 40% of the world’s energy supplies. Heat losses in buildings reduce the energy performance of buildings and are basically important to them. In the paper, the authors focus on the main problems related to heat losses generated by chimney systems, which are inseparable equipment of building structures, resulting in lower energy efficiency and, at the same time, technical efficiency and durability of the building partitions themselves. Authors present thermal imaging with its contribution to the detection of heat losses, thermal bridges, insulation problems, and other performance disturbances, and then verifications using appropriate simulation models. The mathematical apparatus of artificial neural networks was implemented to predict the temperature distributions on the surfaces of prefabricated chimney solutions. In Europe, we can often find a large building substance equipped with traditional chimneys, which disrupts the current trend of striving to reduce energy consumption, especially that derived from fossil fuels. Speaking of energy-efficient buildings, one should not ignore those that, without additional security and modern installations, are constantly used in a very wide range. Therefore, the article deals with an essential problem that is not perceived in design studies and during the operation period as having a basis in incorrect architectural solutions and which can be easily eliminated. It concerns the cooling of internal partitions of buildings on their last storeys, in places where chimneys are located, regardless of their function. The authors of the paper decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon, which may allow the limiting of its effects and at the same time reduce its impact on the energy performance of technologically older buildings.

Green Economy and Sustainable Development: The Outlook

“…Bajno et al [13], in their article, considered the possibilities of improving the traditional chimney system in reducing energy consumption, based on data obtained from the use of artificial neural networks in predicting temperature distributions in the building of chimney systems. The transition to the operation of energy-efficient buildings requires solving the problems of thermal energy losses, as soon as possible, in relation to a large number of existing buildings, as well as for facilities under construction.…”

The Historic Materials and Structures Due to the Aspect of Their Actual Challenges

“…A comprehensive diagnostic analysis of a building structure often requires the participation of people with appropriate qualifications and experience, which will allow for appropriate orientation and overall assessment of the problem under consideration [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. The construction materials discussed in the article are undoubtedly of valuable historical value, especially as they come from the pioneering period of implementing concrete and iron (steel) connections on the European construction market.…”

“…The inspiration to take up the presented topic was the inquiry of the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments about the possibility of leaving and further to use the historic staircases in renovated buildings in new conditions. Designers of renovation, strengthening and modernization works had assigned these structures to demolition due to the low strength of concrete and because of currently not used technologies [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Hourly Simulation of an Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger in a Low-Energy Residential Building

“…However, in recent years new solutions have been developed and investors remarkably likely have introduced various methods to improve energy efficiency of buildings [19].…”