Product category:
Insulation
News Release from: EcoTherm | Subject: EcoTherm insulation
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 16 April 2008
U-values are no trouble at the mill with
Ecotherm
Development of eco-apartments at Dandridge's Mill achieves impressive 91% reduction of carbon footprint through the use of sustainable technologies and high-performance EcoTherm insulation.
As part of its application for a Low Carbon Building grant, Hallidays Developments pledged to use energy efficient materials and renewable energy technologies To achieve the required 25% improvement in thermal insulation performance over the minimum standards set by Building Regulations, SAP calculations showed target U-values of 0.21 for the walls and 0.15 for the roof
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 31 Jan 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
EcoTherm flies flag at award winning development
EcoTherm insulation roofboard and PVC Membrane from Flag UK are part of an innovative housing scheme selected as a finalist in the prestigious Design for Manufacture Competition (DFM).
EcoTherm for Chester's green pavilion
EcoTherm polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation technology is at the core of the eco-friendly roof of the spectacular new Owners and Trainers Pavilion and conference centre at Chester Racecourse.
This was easily achieved using 90mm EcoTherm rigid PIR board in the walls and 50mm PIR board in the roof.
EcoTherm rigid PIR (poly-isocyanurate) boards offer the thinnest thermal insulation solution, saving between a third and a half of the thickness of mineral wool or expanded polystyrene for any given target U-value.
They are light, strong and easy to handle.
Further reading
Car plant insulated by Ecotherm PIR boards
Glass-Therm rigid PIR (Polyisocyanurate) insulation board from EcoTherm will provide much needed protection against the biting cold in a Hyunda plant in the Czech Republic.
Tarkett provide safety and comfort for elderly
Birmingham City Council has selected Tarkett's new Safetred Dimension Wood safety flooring for the bedrooms of four of its new care centres for older people.
Tropical medicine for Solaglas
Two Solaglas contracting businesses provided curtain walling and bolted structural glazing for the Shepherd Construction contract at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
The stable and inert structure of EcoTherm's PIR boards gives them an almost indefinite service life, with no degradation in insulating properties over the complete life cycle of the building - so there is no reduction in the building's low carbon performance, and no energy is required to make or install replacements.
EcoTherm's PIR boards have Zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP).
EcoTherm pitched roof board supplied by Jewson in Abingdon was used for both the walls and the roof at Dandridge's Mill.
Dandridge's Mill was built in the 1820s as a water-driven silk mill and later became a flour mill.
In the Second World War it was converted again, this time into a small engineering works and was used to manufacture Mosquito aircraft.
In this latest conversion it is set to become one of the most desirable apartment developments in the area.
However, the mill's original water race is still being harnessed for sustainable power.
A new Archimedean screw set at the side of the mill is rotated by the flow of river water to generate around 14,000kW per year of electricity - approximately 25% of the power required for each apartment.
This will be supplemented by photovoltaic (PV) cells on the roof of the building.
During winter months the Archimedean screw provides more of the energy when the river is full and the sun weak.
Conversely, during summer months the PV cells provide more of the energy when the sun is stronger and the river level is lower.
The building draws electricity from the grid only for peak demand.
The apartments' underfloor heating system is linked to a water-source heat pump, with the heat collection array laid on the bed of the river, which provides 100% of the building's heating requirements as well as most of its domestic hot water.
The heating system is controlled from a communal plant room to maximise the efficiency of the system.
These high efficiency materials and techniques, combined with other green measures such as the maximum use of natural light, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient lighting, will allow the four new apartments to save over 12 tonnes of carbon emissions every year compared with a 'standard' building.
EcoTherm is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of PUR (Polyurethane) and PIR (Polyisocyanurate) rigid thermal insulation boards.
These have become increasingly popular on commercial and industrial projects as they offer the ideal combination of exceptional insulating properties, high strength and light weight.
This high strength to weight ratio makes them easy to handle and install, and allows light supporting structures.
The boards are also extremely durable - which ensures that their energy saving properties remain undiminished over the complete life of the building.
• EcoTherm: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Buildingtalk email newsletter
• Buildingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
