Kingspan were our guest speakers at our October event in Mold North Wales and we welcomed Steve Davenport who provided us with a very interesting cpd seminar with science lesson included. Steve kindly demonstrated the mix of products to produce the cellular formation in their products although we were amazed how warm the container got through the chemical change.
Kingspan are a well-known brand but apart from the insulation side now also encompass Klargester as part of their environmental side and also now spread out into solar section. Their most common recognisable sector the insulation is more readily available and even has the local DIY outlets having a supply to allow everyone access to it. Their product range comprises to name a few Kooltherm, Therma, Styrozone, Koolduct, Thermabate, KingspanTek and the roofing membrane Nilvent. BBA certification is available for their products to show meets testing and a condensation risk analysis can be produced. They also follow ISO 14001:2004 for its components in its products and have a waste management system to allow all materials returned to Kingspan to be recycled into high performance mdf, re-use or incineration energy through waste to energy incineration.
Part L 2010 brought in changes to fabric and emissions that limited u values and focuses on reducing thermal bridges although we are still awaiting the government accredited scheme that has not yet come into play. This has meant builders have to rely on their submission information or a default value of 0.15 in the DER calculation (Dwelling emission rate). In addition to party walls and the air testing and use of low energy light fittings the aim of new dwellings has been to improve by 25% over the part L 2006.
For any dwellings not air tested through house type similarity a +2.0 to be added to results from those tested. Although each house will require a TER/DER calculation. For commercial new build there is some difference in that it depends on the type of building to provide a percentage improvement. E.g a supermarket only needs 11% reduction compared to an air conditioned office (shallow plan) requiring a 33% reduction. Using SBEM it auto applies the reduction on building type which affects the u values of the fabric. For refurbishments in domestic part L1b there was minimal changes to improve u values but swimming pool basins was included needing to achieve 0.25w/m2k.
Steve showed some case studies where improvements were made through SBEM on a school being improved with small improvement on roof only (14%) rising to largest improvement for walls, roof and glazing (43%). On domestic a case study using a 1900’s mid terrace could through upgrade to part L1B2010 allow the occupier to reduce annual heating bill from £1000 PA to as low as £422 PA. The future changes will mean it will be more common for hybrid cavity walls and the use of external renders with insulation will allow thermal bridges to be reduced. The change from quilt insulation to rigid will be also more common in a bid to improve and reduce U-values.
Roofing insulation and common problems
The common areas currently of concern is the insulating of roofs as there are so many options available. For example a pitched roof being insulated between and under rafters needs 120mm between rafter and 37.5mm insulated board under to achieve current u value. However on flat roofs there are problems to overcome depending on if a new flat roof or refurbishment. A warm roof is better as easier and no ventilation problems as insulation goes above deck so no need to vent. In cold flat roof as in refurbishment it is better to remove any insulation from between and insulate over deck because if small amount of insulation fitted over deck and insulation left in place between risk of condensation occurs. If lead being placed over additional ventilation area needed over insulation. Solutions are tapered roofing system using shaped sections to form falls allowing water to disperse away from roof. There is also a pre-mitred roofing system for hips and valleys taking the wastage costs on site down. The technical team at Kingspan can assist and advise on the type of products, achieving u values, and condensation risks by telephoning them on 01544387 382 or email them at technical@kingspaninsulation.com.
Literature and design manuals on a newly vamped website www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk
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