Insulation Manufacturers Association                            HRSC0007

Written evidence submitted by the Insulation Manufacturers Association

Submission in response to call for evidence “Heat resilience and sustainable cooling”

Organisation name: Insulation Manufacturers Association

Simon Storer, Chief Executive

Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) is the Trade Association that represents both the polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) insulation industry in the UK.  Its members manufacture rigid insulation that provides c40 per cent of the total thermal insulation market into the UK. IMA's membership comprises all of the major companies in the industry, including manufacturers of finished PIR and PUR insulation products, as well as suppliers of raw materials and associated services.  IMA represents the industry's views across government and industry stakeholders and decision makers and promotes a positive and dynamic business environment for the PIR and PUR insulation industry in the UK.

The importance of ensuring that the fabric of a building is as good as it can be before adding any technologies for either heating or cooling cannot be over-emphasised.

Fabric first

Insulation plays a vital role in enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings, reducing heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.

By adopting a fabric first approach, a well-insulated building envelope reduces the need for heating and cooling systems. This, in turn, lowers energy consumption and reliance on fossil fuels. By effectively managing the transfer of heat and minimising air leakage, insulation contributes to maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures and reduces the overall carbon footprint of a building.

The key to the success of the fabric first approach is optimising build quality to ensure that the as-built performance matches the design performance.

To ensure that buildings do not suffer with a performance gap it is essential that regulations are accompanied by robust assurance regimes, incentives for better buildings and penalties for those that do not perform as predicted.

Methods for reducing the need for energy consumption via a fabric first approach include:

• Enhanced insulation with low thermal conductivity;
• Improved thermal bridging detailing;
• Maximising air-tightness;
• Optimising solar gain and;
• Optimising natural ventilation.

Concentrating on delivering a fabric first solution is generally considered more sustainable than relying on energy saving technologies, or renewable energy strategies, as these latter solutions can be expensive, have a high embodied energy or not be utilised suitably by the occupants. This is apparent given that fabric enhancements are the most common retrofitting technique implemented in existing properties (including improvements to insulation and glazing efficiency).

Furthermore, the inclusion of a high-performance thermal building envelope reduces the final energy demand to be provided by low carbon/renewable systems, resulting in a reduced dependence on such technologies and improved overall resilience.

Design principles

Principles incorporated at the design stage of building development can curb the operational energy required by occupants for heating, cooling and lighting in the future.

Optimising features such as layout, insulation, orientation and glazing can all take advantage of passive natural processes and be implemented in the architectural design at an early stage, reducing the collective dependency on low and zero carbon technologies and subsequent active measures from the outset.

Basic design strategies to be included during the architectural conception of a development to optimise efficiency and ensure low energy demand include:

• Site and built form
• Optimised insulation and air tightness
• Orientation and consideration of summer overheating
• Ventilation
• Thermal mass

It is important to ensure that appropriate ventilation and airtightness strategies are adopted in order to avoid issues of overheating and condensation risk.  To this end a robust testing regime is essential. 

Health and wellbeing

The World Health Organisation states that rising global ambient temperatures affect all populations. However, some populations are more exposed to, or more physiologically or socio-economically vulnerable to physiological stress, exacerbated illness, and an increased risk of death from exposure to excess heat. These include the elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, outdoor and manual workers, athletes, and the poor. Gender can play an important role in determining heat exposure. 

The importance of thermal comfort, providing pleasant internal conditions during the winter and summer months, is a prime example. This factor is seen to influence performance and productivity as well as the physical and mental health of building users.

The provision of an enhanced building envelope results in a reduced overall fuel demand needed to achieve equivalent, sustained warmth over the winter months than for a building with poorer thermal performance. Modern lifestyles have come to expect high levels of thermal comfort. ‘Affordable warmth’ is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having a sustained temperature of at least 21°C in the living space and at least 18°C throughout the rest of the home when occupied.

Future Homes Standard

We are unable to comment on the whether the Government’s Future homes Standard adequately considered overheating in homes since the technical consultation promised in Spring 2023 has yet to materialise.

August 2023