"External Wall Insulation and zero carbon/ carbon neutral homes."
External Insulation plays a key role in reducing the output of CO2 from homes. We all know that our current housing stock is impossible to heat and we have to move towards passive housing. This article shows what legislative steps are being taken.
Carbon Zero initiatives for housing in the UK.
After the Stern Review the UK Government decided that there is an overwhelming body of scientific evidence showing that climate change is a serious and urgent issue.
According to the Code for Sustainable Homes “more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2004 – a major cause of climate change – came from the energy we use to heat, light and run our homes”
That is why the UK government have introduced the concept of “Code 6” or Zero Carbon houses. UK policy is to ensure that homes are built in a way that minimises the use of energy and reduces these harmful emissions. By 2016 all new homes in the UK will have to be built to “Code 6” standards. Roughly speaking this would involve a 60% increase in the thickness of external insulation required, over and above today’s UK standards.
Carbon Neutral Homes in Ireland
In Ireland the current coalition between The Greens and Fianna Fail has made very serious commitments to reduce Carbon emissions. The Programme for Government in June 2007 pledged to:
“Introduce new national building standards in 2007 to ensure that new housing has 40% lower heat energy demand than existing building standards and revise them again in 2010 to achieve a 60% target in further years”.
The Irish 2010 Draft Part L continue the relentless tightening with a tougher Carbon emission criteria. “To demonstrate an acceptable Carbon Dioxide Emissions rate, the calculated Carbon Performance Coefficient (CPC) should be no greater that 0.46 of the Maximum Permitted Carbon Performance Coefficient (MPCPC). The is a major tightening the CPC is dropping by 1/3 to 0.46 from the 2007 value of 0.69. Naturally External Insulation and better insulation all around are key to achieving these stricter targets.
Also in the draft 2010 part L, is the proposal to reduce the max permissible U value for walls from 0.27 W/m2K to 0.21 W/m2K, a 23% increase in the amount of external insulation required.
In the medium term the plan is to make Carbon Neutral homes the standard by 2013 (or 2015 depending on the account). Clearly this will mandate another increase in the levels of insulation required. Exactly how much additional External Insulation will be required by Irish houses depending on how exactly the term “Carbon Neutral” is defined.
Looking at all these numbers as graph might be easier to understand. Below is a graph showing how much EPS insulation is required to meet the current and future building regulations.
In the UK the depth of external insulation required will more than double in the next 6 years to meet this target. In Ireland the exact same pattern in ETICS levels is happening with an 80% increase required in 5 years.
Contact us now to learn how future proof your home with External Wall Insulation.