VIEWPOINT


INSULATE YOURSELF AGAINST AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN


Matt Neary, national sales manager at Knauf Insulation


IN RECENT MONTHS, the UK economy has been challenging at best. To bring down inflation, interest rates were subject to a spate of sudden rises, which, unsurprisingly, have had an impact on the construction industry as a whole.


According to August’s S&P Global / CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), the increased cost of borrowing caused the fastest decline in new orders for just over three years. As a result, business activity forecasts for the year ahead were the weakest since January1


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In tough times, there can be a tendency to focus on the negative, but it’s important to remember there are always opportunities for those who know where to look. However, in 2023/4, the product category that is set to buck the trend is insulation. Stricter energy efficiency standards mandated by Building Regulations mean that regardless of the building type, or whether it’s a new-build, extension, or refurb project, it must have better performing building fabric. That means it will need better performing insulation, and lots more of it.


At the same time, homeowners are becoming more energy conscious as well as looking to upgrade their homes to make them more thermally efficient. So how do merchants capitalise on this opportunity? There are three crucial steps that will help merchants position themselves as a powerful ally for customers in times of flux. They need to educate customers about


what the minimum standards are, explain how they can get the best performance from their insulation and advise them on the right products to meet these standards for each application.


Stricter standards of energy efficiency The thermal performance of both domestic and non-domestic properties is set out in Approved Document L of the Building Regulations for England. It was updated in 2022, and the transition period ended in June 23, so all new builds, extensions, and refurbishments must meet the new minimum standards. CO2 emissions for new homes must be 31% lower than per the 2013 standards and 27% lower for non-domestic buildings. This will be delivered by fabric improvements such as insulation, low and zero carbon technologies.


For extensions and


refurbishments, there has also been a significant reduction on the limiting U-values (minimum thermal performance standards) for every building element. Merchants can use our online U-value calculator to help their customers ensure they are meeting the required standards with their build-up.


Material choice matters Part L aims to close the gap between ‘as designed’ and ‘as- built’ performance, which means there’ll be greater scrutiny on issues that affect performance – such as installation standards. You might think this is down to the contractor or installer, but successful installation can


be affected by the type of insulant used. So, it’s important that merchants understand the strengths and weaknesses of different product types when it comes to installation, in the same way they would product performance, and can make recommendations accordingly. Because, ultimately, this could affect compliance with the BREL report now required for new homes under Approved Document L.


So how does it work? You’ll already know that the lower an insulation material’s lambda value (thermal conductivity), the less heat it transfers, but if there are air gaps after installation, heat will escape. Some insulation materials are more prone to these gaps than others. Foam insulation materials, like PIR, are rigid, so any imperfections in construction will cause breaks in contact with the substrate and make it hard to achieve joint alignment – both of which lead to gaps.


In contrast, mineral wool insulation adapts to the substrate, friction fits to building elements and knits together at joints, eliminating gaps that reduce thermal, fire safety, and acoustic performance.


The right products for the best results


There are two aspects to this. Firstly, to get maximum performance, your customers must use the right product for the application. It might sound obvious, but mineral wool insulation products have different properties depending on where and how they are used.


1 Construction output rises slightly in August, but new orders fall at fastest pace since May 2020 November 2023 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 17


For example, our Loft Roll products are designed to give high levels of thermal performance in a horizontal application. So, if they are installed vertically, they will slump because they don’t not have the density required to remain upright, causing performance issues.


Secondly, it’s very important that merchants hold the right stock to ensure they can meet the changing needs of their customers - this might mean bring in new products as supply chain issues persist.


For example, we are seeing increased demand for our higher-performance products, such as our DriTherm® Cavity Slab 32. And increasingly, many housebuilders and builders working on extensions are building with wider cavities (150mm), so merchants who only stock 100mm widths could miss out on a sizeable amount of business - in this market, can you really afford to do that? Similarly, to ensure maximum energy efficiency, many housebuilders are installing loft insulation to a depth of 400- 500mm, so merchants need to keep stock levels high to be able to meet the demand.


When faced with more doom and gloom around the economy and the construction industry, remember that every property (old and new) needs insulation (and lots of it). And by providing expert consultancy on Building Regulations, insulation material and product choice, merchants will be perfectly positioned to make the most of this opportunity. BMJ


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