Exploring the applicability of expanded polystyrene (EPS) based concrete panels as roof slab insulation in the tropics

Abstract

Heat transfer through roof slabs significantly increases the operational energy consumption of buildings. Therefore, passive implementations are necessary to improve the thermal performance of roof slabs in tropical climates. This paper presents a novel roof slab insulation using expanded polystyrene (EPS) based lightweight concrete panels. The workflow consists of field experiments and numerical simulations performed in Design Builder. Moreover, we offered a holistic life-cycle approach to investigate the economic and environmental feasibility of alternate forms. Accordingly, the roof slab with 75 mm EPS insulation and a white exposed surface performed satisfactorily. Corresponding decrease in life cycle cost, carbon emission (kgCO2e), and operational energy consumption were 8.3%, 20%, and 41%, respectively. The overall eco-efficiency index (EEI) implies that the recommended insulation system is environmentally and economically feasible under tropical climatic conditions. Further, manufacturing EPS concrete is eco-friendly since it reduces EPS waste content which does not decay through natural means.