Demand for a RIBA-approved CPD on meeting energy-efficiency targets has soared since the publication of the Future Homes Standard this spring
‘Tomorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards’ provides guidance on how to meet energy-efficiency targets, which require new build homes to reduce carbon emissions by 31% compared with previous levels.
The free one-hour module, created by pan-European insulation specialist Actis, is aimed at specifiers, architects, merchants, builders and building control officers.
Property fabric must come before renewables
With all new-build homes needing to be net-zero-ready by March 2028, ensuring the building fabric is the first port of call before deciding on renewables, says Actis’ UK and Ireland technical manager Harsha Mistry.
As of March 2027, all homes without prior permission will be subject to this requirement; all new homes must comply by March 2028.
“There is, understandably, much focus on using renewables such as solar PV and heat pumps, but while these are an important part of the mix, the priority must be to ensure the fabric of the property is energy efficient to minimise heat loss in the first place,” said Harsha.
“Energy efficiency standards should always be based on reducing the need for energy first 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. This will need to be combined with more use of efficient building technologies.”
Ensuring energy efficient building models
Harsha explained: “Ensuring insulation is continuous, with no gaps, plays a vital role in reducing thermal bridging – and this is one area in which the Actis Hybrid range and Eolis HC excel, with their flexible nature and ease of cutting and moulding into corners, gaps and awkward junctions.”
The module and its sister CPD, ‘Addressing the performance gap with reflective insulation’, which is also RIBA-approved, contain information on thermal modelling and PSI values to calculate heat loss at junctions, the provision of construction details at both the design and built stages, and the Home Energy Model (HEM) to calculate energy efficiency.
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