Topic summary
Thermal envelope
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Building envelope.
Thermal envelope
The thermal envelope, or heat flow control layer, is part of a building envelope but may be in a different location such as in a ceiling. The difference can be illustrated by the fact that an insulated attic floor is the primary thermal control layer between the inside of the house and the exterior while the entire roof (from the surface of the roofing material to the interior paint finish on the ceiling) is part of the building envelope.