Kev sib tshooj kub txog kev siv cov khoom thiab kev ua haujlwm los txav tsis pub rau lub zog kub dhau, yog li ntawd tuaj yeem tswj xyuas kev txiav txim siab kub ntawm ob cheeb tsam nyob ze. Lub tswv yim ntsheib ntawm nws yog kom muaj zog hluas, tswj xyuas kev ua haujlwm zoo, pab nce qhov nyob zoo, thiab pab nce qhov nyob zoo rau hauv tib cheeb tsam. Tus tsev kho kho ntawm no muaj feem cuam tshuam rau ob peb hom kev sib txig sib xig kub: sib thooj (througj khoom siv lossis dundob) , sib npaug (througj dundob lossis dej sib npaug), thiab sib txig sib xig (througj roj electromagnetic). Cov khoom sib tshooj kub tau txais los ntawm kev tsim kho uas muaj dej nkhaus lossis lwm yam dundob hauv chaw porous, fibrous, lossis cellular matrix, vim tias dej nkhaus tsis sib thooj zoo (k-value ~0.026 W/m·K). Qhov kev ua haujlwm tau muab piav qhia los ntawm thermal conductivity (k-value), piv txwv li EPS, XPS, thiab mineral wool uas muaj qhov k-value ntawm 0.030 rau 0.040 W/m·K. Qhov kev tshooj kub ntau txog kub tau muab piav qhia los ntawm R-value, uas yog qhov ntev divided by the k-value. Cov ntaub ntawv tseem ceeb rau kev xaiv thermal insulation tsis yog R-value xwb tab sis kuj muaj lwm yam ntxiv li cas: kev nyob deb ntawm dej (kev ua haujlwm, kev ua dej toxic), kev tiv thaiv dej (uas tuaj yeem ua rau kev ua haujlwm phem dua yog tias nws tau absorbes), kev nyob deb ntawm qhov ntev, zog meej, thiab kev nyob deb ntawm lub sijhawm siv. Hauv tsev neeg, nws yog ib qhov tseem ceeb ntawm qhov chaw nruj, ua haujlwm nrog rau dej thiab vapor barriers los tsim qhov chaw nyob zoo, nyob deb, thiab muaj zog hluas. Hauv tib cheeb tsam tshwj tsis, nws sau zog hauv pipes thiab vessels, pab tiv thaiv tus kheej los ntawm kev kub, thiab tswj xyuas kub. Kev pab pawg ntxig thermal insulation yog nce kev ua haujlwm los ntawm nanotechnology (piv txwv li aerogels), nce kev nyob deb los ntawm bio-based thiab recycled materials, thiab nce kev ua haujlwm ntau yam, piv txwv li sib xyaw phase-change materials rau thermal mass.