Minimising energy usage in buildings has become one of the most widespread goals in the commercial, industrial, and residential construction industries. Efforts to reduce building energy usage are typically focused on the mechanical, electrical, and glazing systems and not the structural system.
However, one area where engineers can reduce energy consumption is thermal bridging. Thermal bridging refers to the loss of building energy through thermal conductivity of elements that “bridge” across the insulation of a wall or roof enclosure of a conditioned space when the outside temperature is warmer or cooler than the interior space.