Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022
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TECHNICAL CORNER www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
Buildability critical to tackling thermal bridging Mark Bowman, UK Technical Manager for Marmox
The recent surge in wholesale gas prices has added another dimension to the regulatory and environmental pressures on developers and their consultants to reduce energy losses with the UK’s pace-setting commitments to achieving Net Zero emissions now looming large on the political horizon.
While the plans to end the installation of new natural gas central heating systems by 2035 in favour of heat pumps - are viewed by many commentators as over ambitious, revisions to the Building Regulations have already brought modern properties up to a standard where their use is viable in terms of properties’ thermodynamic characteristics. But although improving the performance of roofs, walls and floors has happened incrementally and with relatively little pain, achieving Part L compliance for the fabric of the building remains a challenge for specifiers, especially in respect of the junction details. Thermal imaging cameras have become a favourite tool for both building surveyors and those involved in building product research. Offering as they do a spectrum of colours from dark blues to bright red, the technology can show up the troublesome floor/wall junction around the building perimeter for performing almost as badly as an early aluminium window frame or a steel lintel. Such issues were originally highlighted three decades ago by the BRE in a document entitled “Avoiding Risks” and have since been the subject of much research across both industry and academia, though the fundamental problem remains that most good insulating materials are of low density and low strength, making them unsuitable for supporting structural loads. Thus maintaining the overall continuity of performance at the base of the
