While the rise in take-up of domestic heat pumps is good news, the first port of call in the battle for net zero must always be improving a building’s thermal fabric, says pan-European insulation specialist Actis
A recent report shows a 52% rise in heat pump installations over 2023 figures, partly down to grants offered through the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
But Actis, whose Hybrid and Eolis HC insulation systems are much lauded for their ability to reduce thermal bridging and thus improve thermal efficiency, says the first step in reducing carbon emissions from homes must always be to improve their fabric efficiency before then moving onto the installation of renewables.
“The single most important element in reducing domestic emissions”
Actis UK and Ireland technical manager Harsha Mistry explained: “The fabric of the building is the main driver of energy efficiency.
“Energy efficiency standards should always be based on reducing the need for energy first through more use of efficient building technologies and in particular limiting the heat loss through thermal elements – that is through achieving excellent U-values, reducing thermal bridging and improving air tightness – the fabric first principle.
“Renewables can then be considered as an addition once the home has been made thermally efficient.
“It is vital to reduce the need to use energy in the first place, rather than expecting to use the same amount of fuel but in a less damaging environmental way. It is the single most important element in reducing domestic emissions. There is no point in pumping heat into a leaky building. This is not only financially wasteful, but environmentally harmful.”
The fabric first approach is addressed in Actis’ two RIBA-approved CPDs – Tomorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards and Addressing the Performance Gap with Reflective Insulation – in which specifiers are reminded “Build tight, ventilate right, bridge the performance gap.”
Harsha continued: “With thermal transmittance responsible for 45% of heat loss from buildings, lack of airtightness behind 30%, and thermal bridging taking up the remaining 25%, it’s clear that ensuring the fabric is addressed as a priority will make a big impact on reducing energy consumption.
“Clearly renewables have an important role to play, but only once the thermal efficiency of the physical structure is maximised.”
