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Airtightness

31 July 2023
Airtightness

Good insulation and control of air infiltration are essential when trying to achieve low energy and low heat loss in new builds and retrofit buildings. Specific attention to detailing is necessary during installation for insulation to work effectively and to ensure unwanted air infiltration is eliminated as far as practicable. However, the work doesn't stop there. It is very common for the thermal seal in the insulation layer to be overlooked and performance is simply, and inaccurately, assumed.  
  
Airtightness is aimed at stopping this uncontrolled movement of air by closing the gaps and cracks in the construction of the building (the fabric, the windows and doors, and around cables and pipes, for example) through which warm air can escape and cold air can get in. The importance of having both an airtight and thermal seal at buildup is critical in achieving both optimum performance and cheaper bills as without them working in tandem there is a risk of moisture buildup inside your airtight barrier leading to an array of issues from rot to mould.  


  
Gaps in insulation at critical junctions result in cold bridges. It has been proven that Gaps in insulation are increasing U-values (a bad thing) by up to 80% on well fitted insulation that had an airtight barrier in place. So much so that the Part L of the building regulations (updated in June this year) now states that any unavoidable gaps need to be infilled using a compressible tape. 

Paul Rogers, MD Gapogroup, and creator of GapoTape, the award winning thermal airtightness solution for use with PIR boards

To find out more about Gapotape and shop our range click here