Miller Homes has specified Knauf Insulation’s Supafil glass mineral wool and Earthwool loft roll products for an innovative development at Dukesmead in Bingham, Nottingham, which includes five ‘Fabric First’ homes, built to meet current and future energy efficiency standards.
As the housebuilding industry gears up towards the requirement for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016, this forward-thinking development has been designed to test proposed specifications for each regulatory stage along the way.
Two plots have been designed to meet the current requirements under the 2010 revisions to Approved Document Part L. Two further plots have been constructed to meet the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (FEES) and the final plot has been built to meet the expected Zero Carbon Hub Carbon Compliance Standard.
The exterior walls to the dwellings have been constructed using a conventional, super-insulated masonry system, incorporating Knauf Insulation’s Supafil blown-in glass mineral wool insulation. The roof constructions are a timber, pitched rafter design and the ground floors consist of an insulated beam and block system.
Darren O’Reilly, Associate Director of Supply Chain at Miller Homes said: “The aim of the project was to test our proposed designs for future developments and so we have built each plot to different energy and carbon dioxide emission standards. This enables us to assess the implications of future Building Regulation revisions on our project specifications, procurement process and site procedures.
“The design strategy takes a fabric first approach, with an emphasis on reducing the impact of thermal bridging and delivering an appropriate standard of air-tightness. Insulation, therefore, plays a vital role in this approach and so we required high performance products that we knew would deliver ‘what it says on the tin’. We’ve used Knauf Insulation’s products on previous developments and so we knew we could rely on their performance.”
Darren specified Knauf Insulation’s Supafil 34 for use across the external walls of the development and Supafil Party Wall for the adjoining party walls. Offering an unrivalled combination of thermal performance and on-site practicality, Supafil 34 is a high quality blown-in mineral wool with a thermal conductivity value of just 0.034W/mK. Not only is this the lowest thermal conductivity value of any blown-in mineral wool product in the UK1, it is also the UK’s first blown insulation product to meet the new Lambda 90/90 requirement of European Standard BS EN 14064:1:2010.
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool Loft Roll was also specified throughout the properties, offering a lightweight, non–combustible glass mineral wool solution, which was installed between the timber joists to deliver outstanding thermal and fire performance.
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool products are all manufactured using the revolutionary ECOSE Technology – a formaldehyde-free binder based on rapidly renewable materials instead of petro-based chemicals. ECOSE Technology is also up to 70 per cent less energy intensive than traditional binders – enhancing the environmental credentials of Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool products without affecting the thermal, acoustic or fire performance.
Paul Beardsley from Mark Group, Miller Homes’ preferred contractor on the project, said: “Using Supafil 34 and Supafil Party Wall for the external and party walls of the development means that all cavity walls can be insulated using the same machinery - saving time and labour, as well as hidden onsite costs for the house builder, such as storage and purchasing of materials up front.”
Darren concludes: “The ambitious target of zero carbon homes from 2016 means the way we design and build new homes is changing, with higher levels of insulation and a greater focus on the air tightness of the building envelope. This project has helped us ensure we are prepared for the future requirements of the Building Regulations and Knauf Insulation’s products have played a major part in that process.”