Saving energy

Effective roof insulation

It has long been recognised that the insulation of a building is essential to improve thermal performance and reduce the carbon emissions associated with heating buildings. In addition, this also improves quality of life and increases productivity through better working conditions.
 
The embodied energy of our rigid polyurethane PIR insulation accounts for as little as 4% of the energy the board can save during its serviceable life. With buildings accounting for 50% of energy consumption in Europe, the inclusion of insulation when installing new or refurbished roofs plays a significant part in reducing CO₂ emissions.
Designing insulation schemes
Effective and efficient use of insulation boards on a roof is a consideration so that resource efficiency is maximised and site waste minimised. At Bauder, it is our aim to design out waste arising from a scheme layout, though the success of this can depend more on the way the building is designed rather than the way the product is used. This is particularly important when tapered insulation schemes are required where boards are precisely positioned and less transposable.

Upgrading insulation on current roofs
By utilising moisture mapping and other sophisticated diagnostics and software, we are able to offer a refurbishment service that identifies precisely where on a current roof the insulation is perfectly sound and efficient and therefore does not need replacing, and the areas suffering from water ingress which need to be removed as the insulation is ineffectual. This provision proactively analyses the exact project requirements, rather than working with assumptions, to reduce the materials required for refurbishing the roof and keeping costs to the building owner at a minimum.
 

BRE study on roof design and detailing 

The BRE has researched energy loss through air leakage and cold bridging at penetrations and junctions on roofs and estimates that 30% plus of all energy loss in a building occurs at these points.
 
Cold bridging
A cold bridge is an area of a building construction, which has a significantly higher heat transfer than the surrounding materials resulting in additional heat loss. This is typically where there is either a break in the insulation, less insulation or the insulation is penetrated by an element with a higher thermal conductivity.

To eliminate cold bridging on a flat roof, all our detail design focuses on identifying areas where heat transfer, and hence adverse heat loss, could occur. On warm roofs, upstands and parapets are insulated to a minimum height of 300mm above the deck. Additionally our portfolio of accessories allows us to recommend and specify insulated outlets and soil vent pipes as well as using thermally broken fasteners in our mechanically fixed waterproofing systems.  
Air leakage
Uncontrolled infiltration of air is generally considered undesirable, except for ventilation purposes, as it reduces the thermal efficiency of a building and therefore generally increases energy consumption. For all buildings, infiltration can be reduced via sealing cracks in a building’s envelope, and for new construction or major renovations, by installing continuous air retarders. To counteract air leakage, our roofs are detailed and installed to minimise air permeability, and therefore heat loss, by ensuring the correct sealing of membranes to all rooftop details.