Revit Insight Carbon results not changing between insulation scenarios

[azzayanyamdavaa]

Hope you’re doing well. I’m a beginner Revit user and I’m doing a small research study using Revit Insight Carbon for an LPPS (large-panel prefabricated apartment) building.

My goal is to compare:

• Baseline (existing wall)
• Three retrofit options: PIR 100 mm, XPS 100 mm, and Mineral Wool 100 mm

Issue: After I change the wall types/material layers for the three insulation cases, the Insight Carbon results stay the same (the outputs look identical across PIR/XPS/Mineral Wool). I only see a difference between Baseline vs Retrofit, but not between the three insulation materials.

What I changed/checked:

• Created separate wall types and edited the wall assembly layers (added 100 mm insulation layer).
• Tried changing the analytic construction (Schematic Types / Conceptual Types) and rerunning.
• Checked Energy Settings / Advanced Energy Settings (Detailed Elements on/off, etc.).
• Re-synced/ran simulations again, but still the three insulation scenarios show the same carbon results.

Could you please advise what I might be missing? For example:

1. Is Insight Carbon using a generic insulation dataset so PIR/XPS/Mineral Wool end up the same unless I map them to different EPD/manufacturer data?
2. Do I need to change something in Material Thermal Properties / Schematic Types so that each insulation type is recognized as a different material for embodied carbon?
3. Is there a recommended workflow to make sure the model updates correctly (e.g., clearing old runs, duplicating views/models, checking which elements are counted, or verifying material takeoffs)?

If it helps, I can share screenshots of my wall assemblies and the Insight Carbon dashboard outputs.

Thank you very much for your time and support.

Best regards,

[nikhil_singh_yaduvanshi]

Hi @azzayanyamdavaa ,

Thank you for reaching out and describing in detail the issue that you are facing.
I want to double-check one specific part of the workflow you mentioned. When you adjusted the Advanced Energy Settings (specifically toggling "Detailed Elements"), did you generate the Energy Analytical Model again and run a completely new simulation afterward? In Revit, simply changing the wall types or material layers won't automatically update the Energy Analytical Model and conseguentally the Total Carbon results. If you follow this exact workflow, updating the wall assembly, generating a new Energy Analytical Model, and then running a new simulation, we expect you to see the Total Carbon differences across your PIR, XPS, and Mineral Wool models if the thermal performance of the materials setup in RVT are different

Please let us know if this helps. We would also be more than happy to help if you are still running into issues.

Best regards,

Nikhil Singh Yaduvanshi

[azzayanyamdavaa]

Hi Nikhil,

Thank you very much for the detailed reply and suggestions.

I tried the workflow you mentioned step-by-step, but I still get exactly the same carbon results between the three insulation scenarios (PIR / XPS / Mineral Wool). Only the baseline vs retrofit shows a difference.

Here is what I did:

1. Separate Revit files
   • I saved one separate RVT file for each retrofit case (PIR, XPS, Mineral Wool).
   • In each file, I changed the exterior wall type to include the corresponding 100 mm insulation.
2. Regenerated the Energy Analytical Model (EAM)
   • After each wall change, I regenerated/updated the Energy Analytical Model again (not just changing wall types).
   • I also tested toggling Advanced Energy Settings → Detailed Elements (ON/OFF), then regenerated the analytical model again and re-ran.
3. Ran a new Carbon Insights run for each case
   • I launched Forma Carbon Insights for each RVT file individually and ran a completely new simulation.

Result:

• PIR / XPS / Mineral Wool still show the same CO₂e values, even though the wall materials are different.

Could you please advise what I should check next? For example:

• Does Forma Carbon Insights currently treat these insulation options as the same default exterior wall variation, even if the Revit wall materials are different?
• Is there a specific way to ensure my custom wall assembly/material layers are actually being read by the Carbon Insights calculation?
• Is there any recommended method to force a full refresh / clear cached results for the model?
• Do I need to confirm something in “constructions/material mapping” (e.g., “matched/unmatched” elements) to make sure the wall insulation is not being ignored?

Thank you again for your help.

Best regards,
Azzaya Nyamdavaa

[nikhil_singh_yaduvanshi]

Hi ,

Thanks for trying again and explaining the problem in detail.
If you are still seeing identical results after following the steps, could you please share your Revit file with us? We would be happy to test it on our end and investigate further!

Please find the answers for your questions:
Q. Does Forma Carbon Insights (FCI) currently treat these insulation options as the same default exterior wall variation, even if the Revit wall materials are different? A.
FCI recognizes the differences. Every time you update a building input parameter and regenerate the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) in Revit, if you choose to Use Detailed Materials in the Energy Setting dialog in the creation of the EAM, FCI will reflect those specific changes.
Q. Is there a specific way to ensure my custom wall assembly/material layers are actually being read by the Carbon Insights calculation? A.
Yes, you can click the Embodied Carbon Base Model button (top right) and check the Constructions Summary table. Interact with the table and you can expand your specific construction type there will show you the layers it is currently reading.
Q. Is there any recommended method to force a full refresh / clear cached results for the model? A.
If you are using Forma Carbon Insight, every time you click the analyze button in Revit, new iterations of the base run model analyses are generated. In order to analyze a new design, do not forget to regenerate the EAM before running the simulation to make sure a completely fresh analysis is triggered.
Q. Do I need to confirm something in “constructions/material mapping” (e.g., “matched/unmatched” elements) to make sure the wall insulation is not being ignored? 
Selecting Use Detailed Elements in your Energy Settings ensures your custom construction assemblies are automatically transferred to the EAM.

We are looking forward to helping you further.

Best regards,

Nikhil Singh Yaduvanshi