Simulators
Two tools to help you decide before ordering: how long heat takes to pass through your roof, and how many panels you need to tame the echo in a room.
Thermal simulator
Compare EMERFLEX with common insulation materials under metal sheeting, from 45 to 200 mm: ceiling temperature, resistance retained in the heat, thermal time lag, and the map showing where each insulation material stands.
How many panels?
Describe the room, choose wall panels and baffles: the simulator calculates the echo before and after, and lets you hear it.
Thermal simulator: EMERFLEX compared with other insulation materials
Choose the EMERFLEX thickness and an insulation material to compare, at the same declared thermal resistance, under metal roof sheeting in full sun. Calculation according to NF EN ISO 13786.
Calculation assumptions
Calculation according to NF EN ISO 13786 (dynamic thermal characteristics), using the transfer matrix of a homogeneous layer subjected to a sinusoidal variation over 24 hours. The metal roof sheeting varies from 25 °C at night to 65 °C at its hottest, around 1pm, and it is assumed to be in contact with the insulation: this is the least favourable case, a ventilated air gap improves the result. The room is kept at 27 °C, with an internal surface resistance Rsi = 0.17 m².K/W (downward heat flow, NF EN ISO 6946). The temperature displayed is that of the underside of the insulation, on the room side. Thermal time lag: delay between the heat peak at the ceiling and the peak of the metal roof sheeting. Conductivities are declared at 10 °C; under metal roof sheeting, the insulation works at a higher temperature, and the calculation corrects λ to the mean temperature of the layer. EMERFLEX: declared R of each thickness (1.10; 1.55; 2.38; 3.93; 4.76), 162 mm = 100 + 62 mm and 200 mm = 2 × 100 mm installed in two layers, increase in λ of 0.143 mW/(m.K) per °C measured by the CSTB (report DEB-25-00060991, measurements at 10 and 23 °C, extrapolated beyond); ρ = 60 kg/m³; c = 1.79 kJ/(kg.K), measured by the LNE. Other insulation materials: common values from the literature, at a thickness giving the same declared R; increase in λ per °C based on the review published in Journal of Building Engineering (2021): glass wool 0.32, rock wool 0.19, polystyrene 0.10, natural fibres 0.20 mW/(m.K), with polyester wadding taken as natural fibres in the absence of published data. Thin bubble insulation: 10 mm for 0.6 kg/m², with the claimed R of 1.45 m².K/W between two non-ventilated air gaps, counted as massless resistances, without temperature correction; it is not placed on the map. Calculated temperatures, not measured: indicative result, to be confirmed by a thermal study for a given project.
Calculated temperatures, not measured: metal roof sheeting in contact with the insulation (least favourable case, without a ventilated air gap), room at 27 °C. Conductivities are corrected according to the temperature of the insulation. The calculation gives the temperature of the underside of the insulation, on the room side. The solar factor and RTAA DOM compliance are checked separately. Indicative result, to be confirmed by a thermal study for a given project.
How many panels? Take the test
Tiled floors, painted walls, bare ceiling: the typical French West Indies interior is the worst possible case for echo. This is not just a feeling, it is physics, and it fits into one formula, established by the physicist Wallace Sabine at the end of the 19th century.
T = 0.16 × V / A
T, the reverberation time
The time a sound takes to die away in the room. Beyond one second, voices overlap and become tiring.
V, the volume
In cubic metres. The larger and higher the room, the longer sound travels before dying away.
A, the absorption
The sum of the surfaces multiplied by their absorption coefficient: almost nothing for tiles, a lot for an EMERSPACE panel.
The right order of magnitude: 1 m² of EMERSPACE panel absorbs as much as 39 m² of tiles.
Your room
Your EMERSPACE panels
Wall panels
Baffles suspended from the ceiling
When suspended, a baffle absorbs sound on both faces: for the same surface area, it treats twice as much as a wall panel.
To equip the room: request an EMERSPACE quote
A real voice, recorded without echo, to which the echo calculated for this room is added. Turn the sound on, ideally with headphones, and compare the two buttons.
Calculation assumptions
Sabine formula, T = 0.16 × V / A. Absorption coefficients used at speech frequencies (average from 500 to 2,000 Hz): tiles and concrete 0.02; wooden floor 0.08; carpet 0.30; painted walls and ceiling 0.04; furniture and textiles 0.05, 0.13 or 0.28 m² per m² of floor depending on the furnishings. EMERSPACE panel: 0.78, i.e. the average of the coefficients measured by the LNE on the EMERFLEX core between 500 and 2,000 Hz (0.87), reduced by 10% for the fabric and the thickness. Suspended baffle: both faces are exposed, so we count 2 × surface area × 0.78 (conservative estimate, to be confirmed by a measurement of the baffle as an object). Actual panel dimensions (stated format + 5 cm). Sabine is a simplified model, less accurate in very small rooms; the panels treat speech and mid frequencies, not bass. Indicative result, not a guaranteed performance. Voice: a member of the EMERWALL team; in 5-person mode, four LibriVox volunteer readers are added (public domain recordings), via the Multilingual LibriSpeech corpus (CC BY 4.0). The echo is simulated from the calculated reverberation time; listening gives an idea of the difference, not the exact sound of your room.
A desk screen does not treat the room’s reverberation: it blocks direct noise between two workstations. It complements panels and baffles, it does not replace them.
To choose the thickness according to the roof colour, see also the solar factor calculation. These tools give an order of magnitude: for a project subject to an inspection body, we send you the calculation note.
A result to confirm?
Send us your roof configuration or the dimensions of the room: we will reply with a costed recommendation.