Engineered Timber Systems - Ireland

Technical

• Process
  • Quotation
  • Design
  • Manufacture
  • Site Installation
• Certification
• System Build Capabilities
• Building Science
  • Insulation
  • Thermal Bridging
  • Airtightness
• Regulations
  • Ireland
  • UK
    • Code for Sustainable Homes
• Passive House
• Sustainability

Insulation Continuity

Thermal bridging typically occurs at the junctions between plane building elements, e.g. at wall/roof and wall/floor junctions, and around openings, e.g. at window jambs, where the continuity of the insulation is interrupted.

Thermal bridging increases the heat loss and also the risk of condensation due to the lower localised internal surface temperatures.

The extra heat loss at a thermal bridging is measured by way of its linear thermal transmittance or Psi (Ψ) value in units of (W/mK).

Building Regulations require that heat loss calculations should include the effects of thermal bridges when calculating the Energy Performance Coefficient (EPC) and Maximum Permitted Energy Performance Coefficient (MPEPC) using DEAP.

Attention to detail prevents cold bridging

Warm air can store much more moisture than cold air. When warm and moist air makes contact with a cold surface the moisture condensates which in a building can lead to mould and therefore a deterioration of the building fabric. With the use of Kingspan Century Building Systems and their intelligent detailing, thermal bridging is all but eradicated - avoiding condensation and thus preventing any potential for moisture to build up within the building envelope, preserving its integrity and extending its life span.

All Kingspan Century systems have had extensive Thermal Modelling of critical junctions to ensure that Cold Bridging has been eliminated by DESIGN.

Thermal Model of ‘Ultima’ Wall -  Ground Floor Slab Junction

Thermography

Identifying the ‘heat-thieves’ and containing heat where it belongs Thermography is a picture-generating process which shows the thermal radiation of an object, providing a quick and easy analysis of where heat is being lost. The bright colours in a thermographic picture indicate building parts with a high surface temperature, which leads to a substantial heat loss. The walls on the first image are shown as warm, typical of a house or building of conventional construction. The second image is of a Kingspan Century house utilising a low energy wall system to create a dark patch indicating minimal, if any, heat loss through the envelope of the building.

Traditional Construction	Kingspan Century ‘Ultima’