Floor Insulation U Values Building Regulations

The importance of insulating floors.

Floor insulation u values building regulations.

Recent changes to the building regulations have reduced the stipulated u value for. U values building regulations and insulation a rough guide to understanding. The u value requirments for building elements are outlined in part l. The limiting u value the maximum u value that cannot be exceeded required under current building regulations are.

If you compare this with a passivhaus designed house air leakage is an order of magnitude lower at below 0 6m hr per m. A u value is a measure of heat loss in a building element such as a roof wall or floor. Heat rises as denser colder air falls and pushes the warmer air up and is more likely to escape through the roof. In 1985 the required u value dropped to 0 6 for walls hence many properties began to be insulated this is about the time we begin to see cavity wall insulation installed as standard.

The lower the u value the less heat will be lost through a building element like an external wall or the foundation of a house. U value requirements the u value of a building element i e walls floors or roofs is a measure of the thermal efficiency or heat loss through that element the lower the u value the better the thermeal efficiency of the element. This means that the higher the u value the worse the thermal performance of the building envelope. It can also be referred to as an overall heat transfer co efficient and measures how well parts of a building transfer heat.

Insulation is required below all underfloor heating systems to stop downward heat. U values and building regulations. On this test the building regulations target is 5m hours per m and the maximum allowable is 10m hours per m. Ireland s building regulations specifically part l conservation of fuel and energy dwellings 2011 technical guidance document outline the required u value for each area of a home.

U values measure the effectiveness of insulating materials. However if such an upgrade is not technically or functionally feasible the element should be upgraded to the best standard which can be achieved within a simple payback of no greater than 15 years. The ip 3 90. In 1976 as a result of the 1973 oil crisis building regulations reduced the required u value down to 1 but it remained 1 7 for semi exposed walls.