Recently several countries framed policies regarding to replacement of traditional products with environmental friendly products. In India the share of residences electricity consumption rises from 46% in 2015 to 68% in 2040 of total energy consumption. Investigators are interested in the development of biodegradable thermal insulating materials to reduce energy consumption. In the present study eco-composites were prepared using biodegradable sisal fiber and polylactic acid (PLA) for thermal insulation applications to reduce energy consumption with significant ecological advantage. Guarded heat flow method was adopted for the measurement of thermal conductivity of composites as per ASTM E1530. The variation of thermal conductivity of samples with respect to fiber content was studied. From the experimental results, it was observed that the percentage of reduction in thermal conductivity of composite from 0 to 9.75 with the increase of 0 to 30% (weight basis) sisal fiber loading. Among all the samples considered in this work, the lowest thermal conductivity (0.148 W/(m.K)) of composite was found at 30% sisal fiber reinforcement. The increase in thermal conductivity of all samples was marginal with the increase of temperature. The Sisal/PLA composite could be considered as eco-friendly thermal insulation material. This material not only reduces the energy consumption but also reduces greenhouse gas emission.
