BUILDING FABRIC 39 THE CASE FOR SIPS
Jim Nolan at Hemsec Manufacturing discusses the case for adopting structural insulated panels (SIPs) to create more thermally-efficient superstructures in the housebuilding sector.
floor and roof – is where the majority of heat loss occurs, and is the place where thermal efficiency starts. While architects and builders are
T
gradually adopting this ‘fabric first’ approach, it is hard to see why most industry players fail to use more energy-efficient building envelopes, particularly considering how they simplify construction. On a social level, homes with inefficient energy ratings are one of the key causes of fuel poverty in the UK, because of heat loss and the need to
SIPS CREATE AN EXTREMELY TOUGH, DURABLE BARRIER, CAPABLE OF RESISTING EXTREME WEATHER
he superstructure of a building – the frame, or its load-bearing framework including walls, main
keep replacing it by paying for more fuel. Fuel prices are rising, and everyone
in the industry should be working to mitigate the effects, particularly those involved in building for low-income families, such as social housing and build-to-rent, where fuel demands a greater proportion of lower incomes. With COP26 came even greater aware-
ness of the urgent need to control the rise in the earth’s temperature. A thermally- efficient superstructure is a major step towards decarbonisation, along with the ban on the installation of gas boilers in newbuild properties from 2025, for which a thermally-efficient envelope is ideal, because it obviates the need for this kind of heating. Well before COP26, the UK government
had already announced its 2025 introduc- tion of the Future Homes Standard: changes to Parts L and F of the building regulations for new dwellings, which will require the industry to uplift the energy efficiency of new homes. These standards can be difficult to meet using traditional
methods of construction, so it’s a good idea for architects and builders to start the change process now. One of the most cost-effective and thermally-efficient superstructures is created by using high-quality SIPs. Manufactured offsite, SIPs are thin but thermally efficient insulated panels. High quality, well-engineered SIPs of appropri- ate thickness, when used correctly for walls, floors and roofs, create airtight building envelopes that can deliver U values well below the current building regulation requirements. In addition, thermal conductivity in SIPs is 0.028 λ D (W/mK) for the foam core thickness greater or equal to 120mm, and panel joint air-tightness equals 0.01 m3
/m2 /hr
at 50 Pa when tested to EN 12114 in accordance with BS EN 14509:2013. Many of the best-engineered SIPs can ‘exceed’ the Passivhaus standard when other energy-saving methods are adopted, such as solar panels, MHVR systems and storage batteries. While thermal efficiency is one of the
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
