Insulation Systems - Academic Research

nailer8

Just got planning for our new build this morning.
Now it's time for research on building materials and build systems. Specifically insulation systems. Timber frame/ICF/Cavity Wall/external insulation/other.

However i cant find any information that isn't biased. Most of the information available is either sales literature or studies funded by one of the companies selling the products (e.g. Century)

Does anyone have any links to reference material such as academic research papers which has an unbiased comparison of the different systems available.

"Field investigations of the thermal performance of construction elements as built" is worth a read but it is 10 years old and materials have come a long way since then.

Any help would be great.

Carlow52

Good luck with your project!

The solution should be requirements/design driven
Some teasers.

what have u planning for?
What's the orientation vis a vis the compass?
What standard of house have you in mind?
What's the renewable element?
What is the projected energy requirement for your house?

When doing the cost benefit use 300 USD a barrel for oil.
A 50 percent devaluation on leaving the euro would get you almost there anyway?
Have u a preliminary BER or similar?

IMO there is no unbiased research in this area?

Yes the materials have moved on but sadly the quality of workmanship in many cases has not.

nailer8

what have u planning for?

We have planning for 2 story house fairly in keeping with Irish Vernacular design. It is 1 room deep in the shape of a T.
We didn't specify construction method just left the walls at 450mm to allow for what ever we choose. My wife has here heart set on concrete floors so that will rule out timber frame if we go down this road.

What's the orientation vis a vis the compass?

The site is orientated with shelter to the North and East and views to the South and West. The T is aligned in a NW - SE axis with large windows on the SE & SW sides and a few small windows on the NE & NW sides.

What standard of house have you in mind?

Hoping to build the house to a very high standard, we would prefer to spend more /sq ft than have a larger house and skimp on detail.

What's the renewable element?

Haven't gone fully into that detail. Obviously we will put up solar panels for DHW. Any space heating will probably be wood pellet. We will be putting in MVHR. Until feed in tariffs are addressed I don't think wind or PV are a runner. Hoping to put in rainwater harvesting also.

What is the projected energy requirement for your house?

Again we haven't gone into this in detail yet. If i can afford it and the design permits it I would hope to spec the house to a passive standard or a BER of A2. However we wont be going for passive certification.

Yes the materials have moved on but sadly the quality of workmanship in many cases has not.

That's my biggest worry. There are materials out there that claim they can achieve U values of 0.12 w/m2k with a fairly standard 150mm cavity, but is there a builder that can install them with the attention to detail required to achieve those sort of U values.
External insulation by specialist companies is tempting too but i am not convinced of the long term performance of the flexible renders used. And the claim of a 30 year life span is hardly much good when a house should easily stand for 100y+

Carlow52

Thanks for replies.
A concrete first floor is a bit of a nightmare in my experience, especially with an odd shape like a T. I am not saying it cant be done, am saying there are easier ways.

I agree with the flexible render issue which is why I prefer the use of a rigid panel such as 'concrete panels' if doing ewi

I would go with an airtight,warm roof design.

BryanF

Nailer, it seems to me you've sort of narrowed down the wall construction all on your own, from your comments above it looks like your looking at a wide pumped cavity, with inner wall engineered to take conc slab. if you use the word 'passive' I would suggest you go and get a PHPP calculation done even if your not going for certification. and ensure who every is doing your tender/construction drawings is aware of what is required to meet this standard of construction, especially relevant as your going with MVHR. also get a preliminary BER done along side the PHPP calc.

archtech

Nailer, I spoke to you about18 months ago before you embarked on your journey. I've had a look at your planning drawings. What's allowed in terms of depth of first floor wouldn't be adequate for a conc first floor slab and ducting for Heat recovery unless you intend leaving the ductwork exposed even to increase floor to floor height may not be and option due to the stairs configuration. The proposals lend themselves to a warm roof construction.