INSULATION
How much do ‘U-value’ insulation?
Matthew Evans of Kingspan Insulation GB discusses what to think about when it comes to insulating your self-build.
E
nsuring your new home is effectively insulated is an important consideration for all self-builders. t can help to signifi cantly reduce your long-term running costs, keep spaces at a more comfortable temperature across the year and allow low carbon heating technologies (such as heat pumps) to perform effi ciently. t is also typically much cheaper to get this right during the initial build than trying to upgrade the insulation at a later date, so it is worth considering properly right at the start of your project. To achieve the best results, you need to think about the level of performance you want to achieve, which insulation products are most suitable for delivering this, and ensure that the products that are specifi ed by your architect are actually used and fi tted correctly on your project.
INSULATION FUNDAMENTALS The measure of how well a complete construction element (fl oor, wall or roof) resists heat loss is known as a U-value. The lower the U-value of a construction, the more effective it will be at preventing these losses.
A good starting point when deciding what U-value the different elements in your home should achieve are the values contained in the Notional welling Specifi cation. his is a building performance specifi cation that is used to confi rm whether a property complies with the current energy effi ciency requirements in the Building Regulations and Standards. he specifi cation for your project is applied to a theoretical building with the same dimensions as the home you intend to build. The software then generates performance targets that your home will need to achieve (such
as expected carbon emissions). These U-values are not compulsory but provide a good indication of what you should aim for.
England, Scotland and Wales all
use different specifi cations within their Notional Dwelling which are shown in the table below. Where possible, it is worth looking towards the more ambitious values used in Wales and Scotland as representing best practice for your home.
INSULATION OPTIONS
Once you have a clear idea of what U-values you would like to achieve, you then need to consider which insulation products will be most suitable for delivering this. The key performance measure for insulation products is their thermal conductivity (lambda value). As with U-values, the lower this value is, the more effective the products are at
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