Insulation: What to specify and why

Abstract

Insulation products have developed significantly with technological advances, with the development criteria remaining largely centred around performance. Legislation has acted as the catalyst for development, from the basic requirements under Building Regulations AD Part L, to compliance with government carbon reduction targets, driven through advanced programmes such as the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM. It might be argued that legislation is driving technology. Consequently, technology has contrived to produce a range of products that are perceived to ‘just work’, presenting little apparent difference between them. But if specifiers can better understand how heat transfer principles influence insulation performance, and how insulation operates at its core level, there is the opportunity to insulate our buildings to a maximum and appropriate level with the confidence that specified performance can be sustained throughout the lifetime of the building. The installed performance of an insulation product is greatly reliant upon not only the adherence of contractors to manufacturers and general best practice workmanship requirements, but also the suitability of the insulant specified to its installed location.