The ongoing search for energy conservation in built structures and during the construction process prompted this thesis work to explore the use of sustainable technologies for floor heating systems. The thesis work explores the use of thermoplastic material as a sustainable substitute material for future floor heating systems. Concrete materials are presently used extensively for floor heating systems. Thermoplastic materials are seldom used for floor heating and the primary focus of this thesis is to explore the suitability & adaptability of thermoplastics as an innovative energy saving floor heating material. A thorough study of energy demands and the impact on environment due to greenhouse gas emissions has been done. Thermoplastic materials are environmental friendly and light weight. They exhibit high thermal conductivity which is favourable for the floor heating systems. A design technique has been developed for the use of thermoplastic materials as an energy efficient floor heating material. The present technique creates a new modular floor heating system. The design technique uses thermoplastic material of size 2.4m x1.2m with embedded electric heaters. Thermoplastic foam panels act as a single building block. A numerical simulation has been carried out to study the heat transfer characteristics of the proposed material. Limited experiments were conducted to verify the validity of the simulation results. The results from the experiments indicate good agreement with simulation results. The energy savings from the thermoplastic floor heating systems have been compared with that of electrical floor heating systems. The adaptability of the new floor heating system in terms of energy savings and cost benefit analysis is also discussed. / sustainable floor heating system

The pursuit of reducing energy consumption and enhancing thermal efficiency across various sectors to foster sustainable practices has gained significant prominence in recent years, driven by the global environmental crisis. Sweco consultancy has undertaken a study focusing on underfloor heating systems for bathrooms in low-energy buildings located in Sweden. The objective is to analyse the energy usage and thermal loss to the ground based on the thickness of insulation employed. Literature findings indicate that the thermal loss to the ground should comprise approximately 15 % of the total energy, and there exists a logarithmic relationship between the thermal conductivity and density of the insulation material. In the present study, multiple simulation models were developed using IDA-ICE to assess the supplied energy and the percentage of heating loss through the ground for two typical bathrooms situated on adjacent floors of a residential building in Stockholm. The analysis encompasses scenarios where the construction is directly built on the soil or on a concrete slab, as well as the potential thermal loss from the upper level bathroom to the lower level. The results demonstrate that without an insulation layer the heating loss through the ground is remarkably high, approximately 60 %. When employing an insulation thickness of 200 mm or greater, the distinction between constructing on a concrete slab or on the soil becomes negligible. Furthermore, with a 300 mm insulation thickness, the heating loss percentage decreases to over 15 %. The simulations also reveal that the lower level bathroom can benefit from the energy loss occurring in the upper level bathroom. In instances where there is no insulation, the upper level experiences a 56 % energy loss, resulting in energy savings of over 70 % for the lower level bathroom. By incorporating a 45 mm insulation thickness on the upper level floor, this percentage is reduced to 13 %, leading to energy savings of over 25 % for the lower level bathroom.

Byggbranschen står inför en brådskande omställning till en lägre klimatpåverkan från byggnader. Ett sätt att minska påverkan är att implementera byggvaruprodukter och material med lägre klimatavtryck, det vill säga produkter som ger upphov till mindre växthusgasutsläpp under sin livstid. För att kunna göra bättre val behöver branschen en noggrann utvärdering av växthusgasutsläppen från byggprodukter ur ett livscykelperspektiv. Den här studien undersöker vilket av materialen expanderad polystyren (EPS), kork och wellpapp som orsakar minst växthusgasutsläpp under 50 år som skivmaterial i ett golvvärmesystem producerat av företaget Flooré AB. Studien undersöker även skillnaden i klimatpåverkan för skivmaterialen under användningsstadiet, baserat på grundläggningsmetoderna isolerad platta på mark, vanligt för nyare svenska småhus, samt en äldre platta med bristande isolering, vanligt förekommande i hus uppförda i Sverige på 1970-talet. Beräkningen av utsläppen från respektive skivmaterial sker med livscykelanalys som metod och ämnar att bestämma materialens klimatpåverkan (GWP) som utsläppen av koldioxidekvivalenter (CO2e) orsakat av 1 m2 golvskiva i ett golvvärmesystem under ett år. Ettårsperspektivet lägger grunden för en enkel omvandling av skivans klimatpåverkan till valfri tidsram. Den här studien bedömer att golvvärmesystemet bör vara funktionellt i minst 50 år och tittar därför närmare på den livslängden. Studien fastslår att wellpapp i de flesta fall orsakar 14–29 procent lägre växthusgasutsläpp än EPS under ett år som skivmaterial i ett värmegolv beroende på grundläggningsmetod, och ungefär 13–23 procent lägre utsläpp än kork. Som svar på vilket av materialen EPS, kork och wellpapp som orsakar lägst klimatavtryck som 1 m2 skivmaterial i ett golvvärmesystem under 50 år multipliceras materialens utsläpp under användningsstadiet med 50. Resultaten belyser fördelarna med låga värmeförluster i ett golvvärmesystem över tid, då wellpapp orsakar störst växthusgasutsläpp för platta på mark med bristande isolering med 119 kg CO2e/m2 , medan EPS orsakar det lägsta utsläppet på 111 kg CO2e/m2. För fallet med isolerad platta är wellpapp det material som orsakar lägst utsläpp med 7,9 kg CO2e/m2, medan EPS orsakar det högsta utsläppet om 8,9 kg CO2e/m2. Avseende klimatpåverkan är wellpapp det bästa alternativet för implementering som skivmaterial i ett golvvärmesystem med en livslängd på 50 år i nya välisolerade svenska småhus. För äldre småhus som saknar tilläggsisolering är EPS det materialet som orsakar lägst klimatpåverkan, tack vare materialets isoleringsförmåga. / The construction industry is facing an urgent transition to a lower climate impact from buildings. One way to reduce this impact is to implement products and materials with a lower climate footprint, i.e. products that cause less greenhouse gas emissions during their lifetime. In order to make better choices, the industry needs a careful evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions from products used in building production from a life cycle perspective. This study examines which of the materials expanded polystyrene (EPS), cork and corrugated cardboard that causes the least greenhouse gas emissions during a 50-year lifespan as a floorboard in an underfloor heating system produced by the company Flooré AB. The study also examines the difference in climate impact for each floorboard material during the use stage, based on the founding methods thermally insulated slab on ground, common for newer Swedish single-family homes, and an older slab with insufficient insulation, common in houses built in Sweden in the 1970s. The calculation of the emissions from each board is performed with a life cycle analysis method and intends to determine the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the materials as emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) caused by 1 m2 floorboard in an underfloor heating system for one year. The one-year perspective simplifies conversion of the floorboard climate impact during one year to any other time frame. This study estimates that the system will be functional for at least 50 years, and therefore examines this service time further. The study found that corrugated cardboard, in most cases, causes 14-29 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than EPS during a year as a floorboard in an underfloor heating system depending on the building's foundation method, and approximately 13-23 percent lower emissions than cork. In response to which of the materials EPS, cork and corrugated cardboard that causes the lowest climate footprint as 1 m2 floorboard in an underfloor heating system for 50 years, the material’s emissions during the use stage are multiplied by 50. The results highlight the benefits of low heat losses in an underfloor heating system over time, as corrugated cardboard causes the greatest climate gas emissions when used with poorly insulated slab with 119 kg CO2e/m2, while EPS causes the lowest emissions of 111 kg CO2e/m2. In a case with insulated slab foundation, corrugated cardboard causes the lowest emissions of 7,9 kg CO2e/m2, while EPS causes the highest emissions of 8,9 kg CO2e/m2. In terms of climate impact, corrugated cardboard is the best alternative for implementation as a floorboard material in an underfloor heating system with a lifespan of 50 years in a newly built and well-insulated Swedish single-family home. For older detached houses that do not have additional slab insulation, EPS is the material that causes the least climate impact, thanks to the material’s insulating ability.

Ett experiment har genomförts på en anisotrop golvvärmeskiva i materialet wellpapp utvecklat av Flooré AB. Detta i bland annat syfte av att ta fram värmekonduktiviteten i skivans olika riktningar. Företaget har en golvvärmeskiva i expanderad polystyrenplast (EPS) sedan tidigare. Det är även av intresse att se om parametrar som framledningstemperatur och energiåtgång skiljer sig på ett gynnsamt vis mellan wellpappen och EPSen. Det vill säga om anisotropin kan vara till fördel. Mätningar har genomförts på flertalet provbitar i materialet wellpapp för att bestämma värmekonduktiviteten i wellpappens olika riktningar. Mätningarna analyserades och λ-värden vid 10 ˚C togs fram. Wellpappens värmekonduktivitet i de olika riktningar var högst i den riktning som har högre hållfasthetsvärde och lägre λ-värde gavs i de svagare riktningarna. Därefter användes värdena från analysen i finita elementprogrammet COMSOL. Resultatet från COMSOL matades in i den applikation i Excel som var framtagen av Flooré. Med hjälp av applikationen erhölls optimala framledningstemperaturer på vattnet och effekt per kvadratmeter i vid tre olika värmeeffektbehov där wellpapp och EPS användes som golvskivematerial. Resultatet från applikationen på de olika golvvärmeskivorna jämfördes därefter med varandra. Slutsatserna som drogs var att lägre framledningstemperatur kunde sättas för wellpappskivan eftersom den distribuerade värmen från vattenledningarna bättre än EPSskivan. / An experiment has been carried out on an anisotropic underfloor heating panel in the material corrugated cardboard developed by Flooré AB. The company already has an underfloor heating panel in expanded polystyrene (EPS). It is also of interest to see if parameters such as supply temperature and energy consumption differ in a favourable way between the corrugated board and the EPS. That is, if the anisotropy can be beneficial.  Measurements have been carried out on several test pieces in the material corrugated cardboard to determine the thermal conductivity in the different directions of the board. The measurements were analysed and λ-values at 10 °C were produced. The thermal conductivity of corrugated board in the different directions was highest in the direction with a higher mechanical strength value and a lower λ-value was given in the weaker directions. The values from the analysis were then used in the finite element program COMSOL. The results from COMSOL were entered into the application in Excel that was developed by Flooré. With the help of the application, optimal water supply temperatures and power per square meter were obtained with three different heat flow requirements. This was done for the different materials. The results from the application were then compared with each other. The conclusions that were drawn were that a lower supply temperature could be set for the corrugated board because it distributed the heat from the water pipes better than the EPS board.