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ALL THINGS GREEN


However, the situation regarding insulation is not as easy as “just install more”. It needs to be the right level for the right situation. Generally speaking, we obviously need better insulation of UK buildings, especially our housing stock, 20% of which was built before 1919 and only 24% of which was built after 1980. This means there are still a lot of dwellings with little or no insulation and draughty windows.


Commercial properties are in a better


position, in that they are either modern and so built to the highest insulation standards, or that they have undergone frequent refurbishments.


Often, the problem with commercial


properties is not that they are too cold because heat is escaping; it is that they are too hot. Overheating is a major problem for commercial premises, particularly in our bigger cities. Much of this is to do with the increase in occupancy. Not long ago there would be a typical


occupancy in an office of one person for every 3m2, now it has doubled to one person to every 1.5m2


kilowatt of heat is given off, and each person typically has a computer and other electrical


equipment that generates heat. On top of this, there are server rooms and lighting. In built up areas, this has to be dealt with by air conditioning. Opening a window, even on cooler days, is not an option, because of noise and air quality.


A recent study across a number of European cities looked at the optimum level of insulation to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum. It looked at various levels and measured the result.


If you go abroad to hot countries,


particularly the Middle East, you see very thick walls and small windows. The equivalent of a high level of insulation. No matter how hot it is outside, the interior is cool. That is because the main source of heat is outside and the number of occupants is low. UK commercial buildings have the opposite issue, in that their main source of heat is insi de, so the problem is overheating. Often, buildings would be better i nstalling extra shadin g.


. For every 10 people, on average, a


This means that insulation can be too efficient for much of the year, as very cold days in the winter are as rare as very hot ones in the summer. It keeps unwanted heat in, which has to be dispersed by air conditioning


and ventilation, unless it can be used as part of a heat recovery system. The modern trend of having hermetically sealed buildings, to eliminate draughts, exacerbates this situation and increases humidity problems.


The study found that there was an optimum, mid-range, level of insulation that kept most of the desirable heat in the building when it was needed but allowed unwanted levels to dissipate when that was required.


To get its points across, particularly for something as important and complex as tackling global warming, the government will simplify its messages to make the most impact, which can often lead to unintended consequences due to people taking things to extremes.


When selling Gree air conditioning we do not automatically advise our customers that they need the most powerful units available; we look at what they actually need and advise them accordin gly. The same is true for insulation. Each building needs the right level, taking into account its location, occupancy and the equipment inside it. It would be easy to vastly oversimplify the issue and end up with unintended consequences.


First Choice


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