A Comprehensive Review and Recent Trends in Thermal Insulation Materials for Energy Conservation in Buildings

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is very well written and prepared in terms of content.

It contains comprehensive information on insulating materials in the context of their thermal quality, fire, environmental and other parameters.

This review can be very helpful in the work of designers and in selecting an insulating solution, because the assessment concerns many aspects.

I suggest that the tables be supplemented with units, i.e. for thermal resistance and a full unit for the thermal transmitance.

Author Response

Check attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper covers a wide range of insulation materials, including both traditional and novel materials. This breadth of coverage is valuable for readers seeking an overview of the field. The emphasis on sustainable materials and the discussion on the use of waste materials for insulation are particularly relevant given the current environmental concerns. Furthermore, the manuscript provides detailed technical parameters and material properties, which can be useful for researchers and practitioners in the field. The inclusion of figures and tables helps in visualizing the data and understanding the trends in the insulation market.

 Some sections of the manuscript are dense and may be challenging for readers to follow. Simplifying the language and breaking down complex paragraphs into more digestible parts could improve readability.

There are inconsistencies in the citation format. Ensuring that all references are cited consistently according to the journal’s guidelines is necessary.

While the figures and tables are helpful, their captions could be more descriptive to enhance understanding without needing to refer to the main text.

Although the paper discusses insulation needs for extreme cold climates, a more balanced discussion including other climate zones would provide a more holistic view.

The introduction provides a good context for the study but could benefit from a more explicit statement of the research objectives. Furthermore, it can be improved considering some interesting aspects such as:

 The variability of U-value according to the wall moisture:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.124894 and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.01.034

Summer thermal behaviour of insulation: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.120482

Measurements methods: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.06.023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.04.017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.07.050 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.06.071 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.04.050

Insulation in wooden buildings: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031963 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.12.035

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Not applicable

Author Response

Check attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript submitted by the authors is a review and not an article. Please correct before the title.

The article deals with the use of innovative insulation materials to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

The topic is innovative and interesting because it provides a complete framework for understanding the latest and most effective insulation systems.

 

I suggest revising the introduction, making it shorter and deleting repetitions to bring the reader immediately to the goal. Also emphasise the new value of this work and the contribution it can make to the academic and non-academic world.

However, as this is a review, it is essential to include a paragraph on the methodology used. How were the papers from which the information was extracted selected? Were exclusion or inclusion criteria used to select the manuscripts for analysis? Which databases were used to obtain the information and why?

 

The reported results are interesting, but it is necessary to emphasise the novelty of the present study compared to similar studies already available in the literature. Please provide further guidance for future research directions.

Author Response

Check attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper provides an overview of various organic and inorganic insulation materials, recent trends in insulation systems, and their applications, advantages, and disadvantages, particularly those suitable for extreme cold climates. English is adequate with minor details. On the other hand, it requires the modification of the following aspects:

 

-Replace “….countries as they are mostly surrounded by deserts  with very limited vegetation resulting in extremely high energy demand as mentioned in Fig. 1.” by “…countries as deserts mostly surround them with very limited vegetation resulting in extremely high energy demand as mentioned in Fig. 1.”

-Replace “Similarly, to achieve sustainability in building materials, using waste, products for building insulation plays an important role [20].” by “Similarly, waste products for building insulation play an important role in achieving sustainability in building materials [20].”

-Although there are tables and figures of own elaboration, there are several images taken from other articles (such as figures 14, 15, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32), of which there is almost no discussion. Therefore, it is recommended to increase the discussion that justifies their inclusion, since there is a lot of information in the images and they are not adequately discussed, only brief mentions are made.

Replace “Despite several advantages, the organic base insulation materials also have some drawbacks, which limit their commercial use in some cases” by “Despite several advantages, the organic base insulation materials also have some drawbacks, which sometimes limit their commercial use.”

-Line 368, Replace “SiO2” by “SiO₂”.

-The section "Considerations for Choosing an Insulation System" does not contribute substantially, because it is too general. It is recommended that it be modified by adding findings or arguments in the parameters, or if necessary add this information in some of the previous sections.

 -The conclusions should be improved by highlighting the most relevant findings and the contribution of the work. For example, the article mentions essential considerations that should be considered before selecting any insulating material for a specific region. However, this statement is not evident in the article. It is recommended to point out the most relevant findings and benefits.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

English is adequate with minor details. 

Author Response

Check attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I consider that the requested recommendations have been addressed.