Heat Loss Through Suspended Timber Floor

Adding insulation to suspended timber ground floors commonly found in homes built before the second world war can reduce heat loss by up to 92 percent according to research from ucl and the.

Heat loss through suspended timber floor.

New research reveals the actual heat loss from suspended timber ground floors might be nearly twice that of previous estimates and the potential for thermally upgrading such floors is much greater than formerly expected. This should be done all the way to the sleeper wall. This heat is lost through insufficiently insulated walls and roofs nef 2011 while ground floor heat loss is estimated to between 10 and 25 of the total harris dudek 1997. Palmer cooper 2011.

Nef 2011 depending on housing typology and fabric efficiency standards. Although the uk has committed to reduce co 2 emissions by at least. In fact heat loss through the floor can be far more significant than heat loss through either the walls or the ceiling and yet these are often the main areas of focus for thermal improvements. Special emphasis is placed on the ability to retrofit existing floors.

Utley shorrock 2008. However it is unknown how many of these floors are insulated and their. Moreover achieving a thermally efficient and airtight suspended floor by retrofitting an appropriate system comprising insulation an airtightness membrane and a vapour control layer vcl can be relatively easy to achieve. Nef 2011 depending on housing typology and fabric efficiency standards.

The majority of this heat is lost through insufficiently insulated walls and roofs nef 2011 while ground floor heat loss is estimated to between 10 and 25 of the total harris dudek 1997. Hence installing insulation in this perimeter zone could be a cost effective way to reduce floor heatloss. Heat loss was reduced by 24 43 18 w k indicating that suspended timber ground floor retrofits could improve thermal comfort for occupants and contribute to government domestic energy. Heat losses through suspended timber floors and principal heat flow paths are identified.

There are approximately 10 million suspended timber ground floor constructions in the uk and millions more globally. When a floor has such sleeper dwarf walls it is likely that more heat is lost from the room above though the floor in this perimeter zone near the air bricks. Previous estimates suggest around 60 of the heat loss through suspended timber ground floors might be reduced by insulating them. Between january 2013 and june 2015 around 200 000 suspended ground floor insulation measures were recommended as part of the now withdrawn green deal assessments in the uk this was nearly 12 of all recommended measures 28.