With this summer set to be the UK’s hottest on record, building homes for maximum comfort using building products whose production doesn’t harm the environment is essential, says insulation specialist Actis
In addition to helping occupants stay cooler in extreme heat, properties must be built with sustainably produced building products to reduce the vicious cycle of using air conditioning to keep cool, which in turn adds to the climate change burden.
Using Actis products, such as honeycomb-structured Hybris and two-in-one reflective insulation with integrated vapour barrier Eolis HC, which reflect at least 94% of infrared radiation, can help keep homes passively cool.
Actis technical manager and architectural designer Harsha Mistry commented: “During the summer, the reflective properties of Actis insulation deflect solar heat rather than transferring it indoors.
“This keeps the interior naturally cooler and significantly reduces the energy required for active cooling, that is, air conditioning.”
Building products with a minimal environmental impact will help slow climate change
The company, which urges other construction companies to follow its lead, has a zero-waste policy and says using products created to minimise their environmental impact helps slow the pace of climate change.
All its products are 100% recyclable, all off-cuts are recovered, crushed and reintroduced into the manufacturing process, and Actis’ Hybris product is the only reflective insulation in Europe to have earned international Cradle to Cradle Certified® Certification.
This saw Hybris measured against five rigorous criteria – product circularity, material health, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship and social fairness – in order to achieve bronze level accreditation from the global circular economy organisation, the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Rated A+ for their environmental impact, all Actis products are energy, water and resource efficient.
The UK is experiencing its hottest summer on record
With temperatures of 35 degrees and above in many parts of the UK in May, June, July and August, this is the first time on record that such a temperature has been reached in four separate calendar months.
Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper explained: “These figures show that hot weather has become the norm now.
“While previously it may have been a short-lived phenomenon which could be tackled reactively on an ad hoc basis, it is now certain that we need to be building homes for comfort at all times of year, not just for the winter.”
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