The heating and insulation industries must start thinking of themselves as integrated parts of the same whole if they are to help people reduce emissions, writes Mark Group chief executive Lee Cottingham
IF maximum energy efficiency is to be achieved, heating cannot be isolated from insulation - they have to complement each other within the structure of the building.
The insulation installer plays a crucial role in identifying energy efficiency opportunities and, together with the heating engineer, achieve the optimum balance between heating and insulation.
A specialist insulation installer, with many years' experience in the energy efficiency industry, is committed to creating and using heat effectively and efficiently. An insulation package enables the use of a smaller capacity heating system with smaller or fewer radiators. This means reduced running costs, a smaller capital outlay, lower long-term repair costs, and longer life for the system. And, of course, less emissions.
Heating engineers should work with energy efficiency installers to specify more efficient products with their associated costs and more comprehensive range of controls. This will more than offset, in value terms, the marginally smaller capacity systems needed.
The heating engineer will benefit from working closely with the energy efficiency installer following the introduction of the Energy Performance Certificate. It is part of the government's recently introduced Home Information Pack, and means there will be a significantly increased need to improve energy efficiency in existing domestic properties.
The potential for improving energy efficiency is enormous. It is estimated that slightly more than a quarter of the UK's annual carbon emissions come from the energy used to heat and light our homes. Yet it is estimated, for example, that more than 10 million homes in the UK have insufficient insulation - that is nearly 40% of all homes.
Some 40% of all heat loss in the average home disappears through the roof and walls - enough to heat three million homes for a year. This makes the average home responsible for more carbon dioxide each year than the average car.
In recent years, insulation standards within building regulations have become considerably more stringent. The government has now set out a timetable for the progressive tightening of these in 2010 and 2013.
In addition, the draft Climate Change Bill (March 2007) pinpoints a series of clear targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions - and energy efficiency is obviously a key factor in achieving these. The bill includes making the UK's targets for a 60% reduction by 2050, and a 26-32% reduction by 2020, legally binding.
In order to meet these targets, insulation levels have substantially increased. This in turn has triggered a change in the role of the specialist insulation contractor. The installer should now offer a complete energy efficiency package and be able to mastermind an entire tailor-made insulation programme. This should be based on an initial energy survey of the property to identify cost-effective measures to be taken, backed up by a wide knowledge of buildings.
Energy-saving measures for new build and existing properties now extend beyond the traditional cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and draughtproofing. They should include timber frame and warm roof insulation, micro-generation products (wind turbines, solar panels, ground source heat pumps etc) and energy efficiency and financial advice.
Specialist installers are active in the highly subsidised energy efficiency schemes. In recent years, grants and offers for energy efficiency - and in particular central heating and equipment - have become more readily available to householders to encourage them to have energy-saving measures in their homes.
In addition to providing increased funding for energy efficiency grants, households that install wind turbines and solar panels are eligible to apply for grants. Environmentalists point out that the average solar panel system can reduce carbon emission by up to nine tonnes per year. The average system in the UK costs £3,500 to £4,500 and can save 70% on hot water bills.
Energy efficiency installers also often work closely with local authorities, many of whom are already leading the way on the sustainability agenda. This new outlook, minimising waste and pollution to protect the environment, gives the insulation installer a new standing.
No longer do they merely fit materials to buildings. The insulation installer is now a key part of the government's environmental programme, assisting clients to manage their building's sustainability, saving money, saving energy and reducing pollution.
In order to save fuel and create more comfortable living environments, it is vital that the heating engineer is familiar with the complex role the energy efficiency installer performs.
www.markgroup.co.uk