Energy used for heating, ventilation and air conditioning in commercial and residential buildings contributes to a significant portion of the total energy consumed in many countries. Energy efficient vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) present thin but highly effective insulation solutions, to reduce thermal losses for both new and renovated buildings. This study presents a comprehensive review of VIP comprising glass fibre core and laminated aluminium foil envelope materials, which are used in building envelopes in China. Characterization of the material composition, procedures for installation method, as well as future outlook have been investigated and discussed. The outer barrier layer of fibreglass cloth (FGC) protects VIP from localized alkaline cement and mechanical stress. Insulation assembly debonding from building walls was curbed by a combination of reinforced fibreglass mesh and plastic spacer. Besides, masonry cavities are created in some narrow spacing between the VIP and existing wall against unforeseen moisture conditions. Furthermore, owing to an interlocking surface topology of novel Peephole-VIP/wall interface, bond strength is increased to about 50%. Nonetheless, energy lost due to thermal bridge effect was rather high. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.