Study shows soffit savings with Kingspan Insulation

New research from quantity surveyors, Rider Levett Bucknall, has shown the physical properties, specifically the enhanced thermal performance, of Kingspan Kooltherm K110 FM Soffit Board can allow installers to fit an additional 5.25 square metres of insulation every thirty minutes, when compared with the closest competitor, rock mineral fibre.

The independent study first compared the physical properties of five common soffit insulation materials.

This analysis showed the thermal conductivity of Kingspan Kooltherm K110 FM Soffit Board (0.018 W/mK) was the lowest on the market – 11% better than the next best material and 89% better than rock mineral fibre.

This means a compliant construction can be achieved with a slimmer thickness of insulation.

For example, a 100mm layer of the insulation material fitted beneath a 150mm concrete deck can achieve a U-value of 0.17 W/m²K, the recommended best starting point to meet non-domestic Building Regulations in England and Wales.

To match this performance with rock mineral fibre, 210mm would be required. As the rock mineral fibre material assessed within the study is only available in thicknesses of between 130mm and 160mm, two layers of insulation would need to be fitted to a total thickness of 260mm.

To assess how this might impact an installation, a demonstration was carried out looking at how quickly a 100mm thickness of Kingspan Kooltherm K110 FM Soffit Board could be installed beneath a 150mm concrete deck, when compared with the thinnest solution of 130mm thick rock mineral fibre insulant.

The results showed the lightweight, easy to install design of Kingspan Kooltherm K110 FM Soffit Board allowed a 17.28 square mete area to be insulated in 37 minute,s compared with just 10.8 square metres with the rock mineral fibre insulation, an improvement of 60%.

The study further showed Kingspan Kooltherm K110 FM Soffit Board was the only material assessed that could provide details of certification as an ‘excellent’ product under the demanding responsible sourcing standard – BES 6001.

The board, produced at Kingspan Insulation’s Pembridge, Herefordshire manufacturing facility, is also FM Approved to FM 4880.

The view the full demonstration of the Speed of Install video and to download the Reduce Your Overheads whitepaper, visit www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk/SpeedMatters