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INSULATION


67


Getting it right first time


If the housing stock is to meet long-term performance standards, then we must have more thermally-efficient building envelopes, which in turn will result in improved comfort for occupants. Getting the fabric of the building properly insulated should always be the starting point. It is a fundamental step towards achieving the net-zero target as well as compliance with the energy performance requirements of the revised Building Regulations Part L. By considering the fabric from the outset of a project, it is estimated to cost just one-fifth of the total cost of retrofitting to the same quality and standard at a later date. Homes should be built that solve today’s challenges and provide long term solutions, as it would be scandalous if homes being built today become the homes in 2050 that need to be retrofitted.


Changes to Part L Within the new Part L requirements of the Building Regulations, all new homes will be expected to produce 31% less carbon emissions through a combination of fabric improvements, low carbon heating technologies and PV panels. This is the first step, but by 2025, new housing will be expected to produce 75-80% less carbon emissions compared to current standards.


Achieving higher Fabric Energy Efficiency Standards (FEES) in specifications will be crucial for housebuilders in order to pass SAP and comply with Part L. Looking ahead to the Future Homes Standard in 2025, boilers might be replaced with air source heat pumps or some other low carbon technology, but the fabric targets of the building are expected to remain. To reiterate, getting the fabric right in the first instance is not only a sustainable approach but also a tried-and-tested way of limiting heat loss within the building.


When we emerge from Covid-19, the enormous challenge of achieving a net-zero carbon-built environment must be woven into what many are now saying must be a ‘green economic recovery.’ Good insulation clearly has a role to play, and by taking the fabric-first approach, specifiers will be taking the direct route to achieving the net-zero target.


Simon Storer is chief executive of the Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA)


ADF JULY 2021 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


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