EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION /
LOW/ZERO CARBON BUILDINGS /
With increased importance being placed on the design of low or zero carbon buildings, PermaRock external wall insulation (EWI) systems can help towards the creation of effective, energy efficient and sustainable developments.
Working closely with building designers, PermaRock can advise from design stage through to installation on how the external wall insulation element of a project can meet low carbon design requirements and how they be utilised to achieve or exceed Passivhaus, BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes (Levels 4-6) and similar performance standards.
Through the use of a PermaRock external wall insulation system, heating demand can be dramatically reduced (conserving energy) and very airtight façades can be created - important factors in the design of energy efficient buildings. Although the external walls are an extremely important contributing factor, a number of other important considerations can have an impact during the design process of low carbon and sustainable buildings including building orientation, window and door type and placement, overhang depth, the efficiency of heating, cooling, lighting and other equipment, occupant behaviour, as well as the local climate.
Code for Sustainable Homes
Released by Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the publication of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) was introduced to drive a stepchange in sustainable home building practice for new dwellings and will be closely linked with the future direction of Building Regulations in relation to carbon emissions and energy use in homes.
The CSH outlines that by 2016 all new dwellings (homes) in England should be carbon neutral (‘zero carbon’) and this will have far reaching implications for the building designer on future projects, impacting on building products and materials specified.
Key CSH Features:
The Code measures the sustainability of a home against 9 design categories, rating the whole home as a complete package.
- A new home can achieve a rating from Level 1 (one *) to Level 6 (six ******).
- ‘The Code’ Level 3 (25% reduction from current levels) becomes the standard requirement of Part L in 2010
- ‘The Code’ entry level then becomes Level 4 (44% reduction)
- Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 (2016) calls for ‘zero carbon’ homes.
- In practice: Maximum value for wall U-values 0.18 W/m2K for all dwelling types by 2016
PermaRock external wall insulation systems can incorporate high levels of insulation to contribute significantly to reducing heat losses/gains, thereby reducing heating and cooling demands, thus reducing CO2 emissions. PermaRock systems can achieve U-values of 0.10 W/m2K and below and can be designed to eliminate thermal bridges, another important factor at higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Passivhaus
The term Passivhaus refers to a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in buildings. The core focus of Passivhaus design is to dramatically reduce the requirement for space heating and cooling. This can be achieved without compromising comfort or needing to rely on the falling costs of renewable energy technologies.
BREEAM
BREEAM (the BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is the most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings in the UK. The assessment addresses a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues and sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design.
This enables developers and designers to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their buildings through a recognised measure of environmental performance. Buildings are then rated with either a Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent and, for exemplar buildings, Outstanding rating. The assessment is commenced at design stage and is then verified post construction when the final certificate is issued.
In order to meet or exceed Passivhaus and BREEAM requirements, PermaRock can design external wall insulation systems that are extremely high in terms of:
- Thermal performance
- ‘Thermal bridge-free’ junctions between walls, floors, roofs
- Producing a very airtight building envelope