VIEWPOINT
PUMP DOWN THE VOLUME
Matt Neary, National Sales Manager at Knauf Insulation
LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN the UK receive more complaints about noise than any other issue. It’s more than just an irritant. The World Health Organisation estimates that noise pollution costs Europe £30.8Bn per year in lost productivity, health costs and impaired learning. As a result, it states “environmental noise comes second in burden of disease to air pollution and arguably is responsible for more disturbance of quality of life.”
The problem is only likely to get worse – overpopulation, increased traffic, expanding metropolitan and industrial areas all contribute to rising noise levels.
But of course, external noise is not the only issue affecting building occupants – with more people working from home on a permanent basis, it’s also necessary to limit noise transfer between rooms. So, what can merchants do to encourage their customers to think about acoustic performance? Merchants are respected for their expertise, and those who can add value by consulting and advising are more likely to retain their customers’ business in a competitive industry. A better understanding of acoustic performance means you can give better advice to your customers.
Noise reduction When building a structure there are three principles that must be followed to reduce noise; increase mass, create separation, and add absorption. In an internal wall, the mass will come from the plasterboard, the separation from the cavity and absorption from a noise-reducing material such as mineral wool. As a rule of thumb, a merchant should sell 1m of acoustic insulation for every 5m of plasterboard.
It’s also important to understand how different materials and products perform as that will ensure merchants can
stock the right range of insulation products to cover all applications. Not all insulation can be used to reduce noise. Some materials, such as rigid foam boards, offer very little benefit when it comes to acoustics. In contrast, glass or rock mineral wool insulation has an open structure that allows sound waves to be trapped between the individual strands and turned into heat energy naturally. When insulating to reduce noise, always use a product that is designed and recommended for acoustic performance in that application. There’s a misconception that rock mineral wool outperforms glass in terms of sound absorption. In fact, when engineered for acoustic performance, both materials can meet and exceed the noise reduction standards required by Approved Document E. As a result, Knauf Insulation recommends the use of glass mineral wool insulation, such as Acoustic Roll or OmniFit® Slab 35, as an absorption layer to reduce airborne sound transmission in a variety of applications such as internal partitions and floors. This is because glass mineral wool is lighter and therefore easier to handle. We only recommend rock mineral wool where the acoustic design requires additional properties such as in warm flat
May 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
roofs, where compressive strength is needed.
Merchants who need to optimise their stocks should consider multi-application products, such as our OmniFit® range of products. They can be used for sound absorption in both internal and external walls, as well as certain floors with a variety of metal frame and timber constructions to meet and exceed the requirements of Approved Document E. In the case of airborne sound reduction for example, the OmniFit®
products achieve a
minimum of 42.0 RwdB sound reduction, exceeding the 40.0RwdB required by building regs, when using a standard internal partition wall build-up comprising a 75mm metal stud, 50mm of OmniFit® at 600mm centres with one layer of std plasterboard. As well as acoustic
performance, the products come in slabs with a thermal performance of 0.035W/mK or rolls with 0.034W/mK and 0.040W/mK. They are also non-combustible with the best possible Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification and offer a range of sustainable credentials including up to 80% recycled glass content and being manufactured using Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder, ECOSE®
Technology.
Beyond the legislation Sound insulation is required for specific applications in certain buildings. In England, Approved Document E sets out the requirements for party walls and internal walls separating bedrooms and bathrooms from other rooms within residential buildings.
There are other regulations that detail the complex acoustic requirements for schools, hospitals, and healthcare buildings.
Acoustic insulation should be installed in internal walls between a bedroom or a room containing a water closet, and other rooms, internal floors, and separating walls and floors.
But as mentioned earlier, how people are living is changing. Since the pandemic more and more people have been working from home. So, it’s worth explaining to independent builders that, for a new build three-bedroom family home, they may be able to improve the acoustic performance of the additional internal partitions not specified under Approved Document E using just one additional 50mm Acoustic Roll – and minimal labour. It’s an inexpensive way to transform the way a busy family can use their home more comfortably – and it’s a great way for your small- builder customers to differentiate themselves from the competition. Similarly, a DIY customer partitioning a room to create a home office will be persuaded of the benefits of acoustic insulation, when they’re reminded of the distractions of children playing, dogs barking or washing machines whirring in the next room. All of which is to say, there are big opportunities for merchants who understand the acoustic performance of insulation. BMJ
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