Action needed to tackle inefficiency
As a new report calls for action to tackle energy inefficient homes in the UK, Andy Swift, sales and operations manager at IsoChemie, says architects who adopt new approaches to sealing specification will improve the energy efficiency around window and door installations.
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee’s report – Energy Efficiency: building towards net zero – which follows recommendations laid out in the 2018 National Infrastructure Assessment, stresses the importance of pushing more energy efficient buildings to help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets costeffectively.
Specifically, it flags concerns that public investment is currently inadequate when it comes to making homes energy efficient and urges that greater attention and priority should be given to home insulation. The move also follows an earlier report by the Committee on Climate Change(UK Housing Fit for the Future, February 2019) into energy efficiency in homes, which called for all new homes to be built to be as thermally efficient as possible.
These reportsshowcase seeming indifference among government ministers when it comes to propagating more energy efficient housing, rebuffing simple yet effective home insulation measures that could help people to pay less than they need to tackle climate change.
Undeniably, home insulation installations are among the cheapest carbon cutting measures, reducing energy bills by £100 a year on average. However, the cancellation of government incentives has seen a 95% fall off in work in this area since 2012, according to the Committee on Climate Change.
Despite great strides in modern housing design and development, evidence points to doors and windows among the biggest culprits when it comes to energy inefficient homes. It might be said that in the light of product innovation, it is almost criminal that so many fenestration installations remain unchecked or unregulated, leaving a legacy of problems that last for years and cost £hundreds-of-thousands to rectify.
This is a pity because with advancements in cost effective, simple-to-use technologies, there’s no longer any justifiable reason for procrastination regarding the specification of energy efficient window and door sealing solutions.
Heat will always find the fastest exit as it comes up against the ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rated window, and invariably this emanates from the 10mm or so expansion gap left around the window following installation. This is normally left empty, but some amount of spray foam can be injected to fill the void before a silicone trim is applied for a smart looking finish.
Unfortunately, as expedient as this might sound, none of these solutions create a measurable, long-term, high-performance thermal, acoustic or airtight barrier.The U-value of the installed window is simply reduced, which leads to heat escape and, ultimately, financial loss.
If building regulations remain lenient, we will continue to see window and door developments that only just comply with the minimum standards. But the industry deserves better insulating products to improve energy efficiency and save money for their end-users, and self-adhesive foam sealing tapes, which use ‘smart’ foams impregnated with different substances to create a measurable U-value as low as 0.6W/m2K, offer superb thermal insulation and can contribute to acoustic sound reduction by 63dB.
As these installation tapes are completely weathertight against driving rain up to hurricane force wind speeds, installers can quickly apply them around the frame during initial fitting. This provides the assurance that they have completed a comprehensive ‘A’ rated installation rather than just supplying an ‘A’ rated window. This is a benefit that can be sold on to deliver enhanced energy efficiency advantages for customers and property owners.
There’s no question that those responsible for fenestration specification can do more to support greater energy efficiency. Technical innovation through sealing technologies is one way that this can be achieved. Indeed, as sustainability continues to be paramount in the development of low carbon and eco-friendly housing schemes, we are seeing technologies such as foam tapes gaining traction as effective solutions for sealing window and door frame expansion joints and gaps in houses.