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Autumn sparks ‘airtightness principles’ message from Scandia-Hus and Actis

With the arrival of autumn and concerns about energy costs, Swedish timber frame specialist Scandia-Hus, whose show homes are all insulated with Actis Hybrid products, is trumpeting the importance of incorporating high levels of insulation and adopting air-tight principles to minimise heating bills.

The company has used the Actis Hybrid range on all four show properties at its Sussex HQ, with its latest property, a single storey 1,915 sq ft property The Lodge, fitted with HControl Hybrid, 105 mm Hybris and insulating breather membrane BoostR Hybrid in the walls to achieve a U-value of 0.14W/m2K. It uses HControl Hybrid in the flat roof.

Previous Scandia-Hus show homes have been insulated with a combination of insulating vapour control layer Actis HControl Hybrid and 155mm honeycomb design Actis Hybris in the pitched roof and HControl Hybrid and 105mm Hybris in the walls to achieve a U-value of 0.14 in the roof and 0.16 in the walls.

A thermal imaging survey carried out a few years ago on its first Actis Hybrid-insulated show home showed an impressive lack of thermal bridging, confirming that Hybrid was the right choice for the bulk of its ongoing projects.

Scandia-Hus MD Derek Dawson said “All products have been designed to eliminate thermal bridging by helping to ensure an airtight envelope. The range can achieve the highest U-value requirements with a minimal thickness.

“High performance Hybrid panels also offer the benefit of being simple and quick to cut accurately, minimising wastage and reducing installation time, which can be up to 30% quicker than using alternative methods.

“By incorporating high levels of insulation and adopting air-tight principles Scandia-Hus homes achieve exceptional thermal values, which is why we are renowned for our energy-saving properties.

“It is vitally important to make new homes as airtight as possible. Uncontrolled air migration (in or out) is a significant route for heat loss even in a well-insulated property.

“High levels of insulation and airtightness are number one on the sustainability priority list and, as the financial and environmental costs of energy continues to rise, we are confident that our methods are compatible with a cleaner and greener future.”

Find out more about the latest Actis-insulated Scandia-Hus show home here.

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