ISO Chemie’s UK sales and operations manager Andy Swift, explains how to plug thermal gaps in window installations.
As every housebuilder and developer in the UK knows, efficient heating is at the forefront of the construction agenda, with debates about the most ecologically friendly way of heating homes sitting side by side (not always comfortably) with the outrage against surging energy bills. There is however one solution, at least, which has proven wildly effective, comparatively cheap to enact and satisfies those on all fronts, and that is to ensure that the houses being built or redeveloped, lose as little of their precious heat as possible.
Heat loss through window systems refers to the transfer of heat from the interior of a building to the exterior through the glazed units. This can occur through conduction – where heat is transferred directly through the window materials – air leakage and radiation. This can affect the overall comfort of living spaces while significantly impacting in terms of increased energy costs. It can lead to higher heating expenses during the winter as the warmth generated inside the home escapes through the windows.
So, implementing measures to reduce heat loss through windows can clearly help save on energy costs in the long run. Given the high impact heat loss has on energy bills, it’s important to take bold measures to combat the amount of heat lost from a building through the gap between the windows and the surrounding wall – as thermal imagery clearly shows. While this gap is necessary to allow for the natural expansion of the window frame throughout the year, the loss of heat should not be tolerated and therefore addressed urgently.
Bridging the gap
Doors and windows account for almost a quarter (21%) of the total air loss of the average house, and adding the joints between walls, floors and ceilings brings the figure as high as 50%. Some experts believe that airflow is desirable. However, this heat loss could easily be reduced while still retaining some natural air flow.
The specification of a thermal insulating and load bearing bracket support system has been shown to provide energy efficiency improvements for residential properties and plug thermal gaps. Passivhaus certified and fire rated to up to 30 minutes, ISO Chemie’s WINFRAMER is a prefabricated installation frame, manufactured to accommodate cavities up to 250mm that allows windows to be supported independently from the face of the wall regardless of any external cladding being in place.
In Bristol, WINFRAMER units have been specified for a private residential development that includes the renovation of several old stone cottages. The project saw the use of the system to attach new windows to the properties before the installation of insulation around the WINFRAMER units and the application of an exterior screed finish, in a move designed to significantly improve the building’s U values and heat retention capabilities.
The use of retrofitted WINFRAMER units have also been used as part of an initiative to bring poorly insulated properties in Coventry up to current energy efficiency standards and provide better quality housing for homeowners along with long-term cost savings. Quick and easy to install, the product’s application there and in other places, is seen as part a solution to meet a wider Government strategy to reduce carbon levels in housing that has single skin walls or non-cavity walls – these buildings have a reputation for leaking considerable amounts of energy, heat and sound.
In the modular house building sector, where precision engineered units utilise modern methods of construction (MMC) to deliver long term energy cost savings, designers are always looking at smarter ways to deliver low carbon structures, which include using sustainable technologies. Sector leaders are turning up the heat in the use of the latest solutions – they use WINFRAMER in prefabricated installation frames to accommodate cavities up to 250mm. This allows windows to be supported independently from the face of the wall regardless of any external cladding being in place, delivering measurable airtight, acoustic and thermal sealing benefits in the process.
Commercial applications
In the wider commercial arena, thermal insulating and load bearing bracket support systems are tackling the issue of thermal loss in some of the most unusual applications. WINFRAMER together with BLOCO ONE foam sealant tapes and VARIO SD window connection foils, have been installed to support and insulate large triple glazed composite windows fitted to Leicester Cathedral’s new heritage and learning centre as part of a wide-ranging £11 million revamp of the Grade II listed historic building and improve facilities for the increasing number of visitors drawn to the tomb of Richard III.
The composite WINFRAMER brackets can bear heavy windows loads, including bi-fold doors, to provide a reliable, strong and high-performance support frame. Installation is quick with windows attached directly and secured mechanically using either standard fixing screws or fixing lugs in the usual manner. A hinged insulation core combines with the composite wood structural bracket to become an integral part of the overall wall structure, providing compliance with window energy saving regulations (EnEV) and the RAL quality assurance association.
As building regulations evolve and continue to bite, property owners and window contractors require smarter ways to deliver refurb projects through sustainable technologies. By working in partnership with specialists such as ISO Chemie – and adopting innovative product solutions – customers can create high-performance windows with a highly efficient installation and close the thermal gap.
Find out more at https://www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/home/
