While there is much to praise in the recently launched Warm Homes Plan, its focus on funding technology rather than looking at the fabric of a building as the first port of call means many homes may not perform at their optimum energy efficiency level.
The £15 billion scheme, aimed at upgrading five million UK homes by 2030, sees the bulk of its funding go on loans and grants for solar PV and heat pumps, rather than insulation.
UK and Ireland technical manager Harsha Mistry from pan-European insulation specialist Actis, says while these technologies are to be welcomed, the first port of call in the battle for net zero must always be improving a building’s thermal fabric.
Actis, whose Hybrid and Eolis HC insulation systems are much lauded for their ability to reduce thermal bridging and thus improve thermal efficiency, says the first step in reducing carbon emissions from homes must always be to improve their fabric efficiency before then moving onto the installation of renewables.
Harsha explained: “The fabric of the building is the main driver of energy efficiency.
“Energy efficiency standards should always be based on reducing the need for energy first through more use of efficient building technologies and in particular limiting the heat loss through thermal elements – that is through achieving excellent U-values, reducing thermal bridging and improving air tightness – the fabric first principle.
“Renewables can then be considered as an addition once the home has been made thermally efficient.
“It is vital to reduce the need to use energy in the first place, rather than expecting to use the same amount of fuel but in a less damaging environmental way. It is the single most important element in reducing domestic emissions. There is no point in pumping heat into a leaky building. This is not only financially wasteful, but environmentally harmful.”
The fabric first approach is addressed in Actis’ two RIBA-approved CPDs – Tomorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards and Addressing the Performance Gap with Reflective Insulation – in which specifiers are reminded “Build tight, ventilate right, bridge the performance gap.”
Harsha continued: “With thermal transmittance responsible for 45 per cent of heat loss from buildings, lack of airtightness behind 30 per cent, and thermal bridging taking up the remaining 25 per cent, it’s clear that ensuring the fabric is addressed as a priority will make a big impact on reducing energy consumption.
“Clearly renewables have an important role to play, but only once the thermal efficiency of the physical structure is maximised.”
- (caption) While the Warm Homes Plan is to be welcomed for its aim of reducing home energy bills, tackling fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions, Actis UK and Ireland technical manager Harsha Mistry explains that the fabric of the building needs to be addressed before the addition of renewable technology.
