Home Energy Efficiency
At Bradfords we talk about a very simple theory: make your building need as little energy to heat as possible, and make sure that what energy you do use is as green as possible. In this area of our sustainability site, we talk about the first half of this concept: how to minimise the energy use in your building or home.
Home energy efficiency means making your home:
- More energy efficient
- Cheaper to run
- More comfortable
There are three key aspects to achieving this, beyond the lifestyle changes that you can make such as turning your thermostats down or having shorter showers. They are:
- Insulation
- Air Tightness
- Ventilation
This is known as the ‘fabric first’ approach. Get the fabric of your building right, and you’ll be ensuring that the heating and energy required to make it comfortable and healthy will be considerably less. Once you’ve sorted the ‘fabric’, then you can look at what heat source you need and how you provide the heat now required for your energy efficient home.
"23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heating our buildings. At the same time, we know that better fabric leads to more comfort, healthier air quality, and importantly, lower energy bills."
The starting point for energy efficiency. Walls, roof, floor: creating a complete envelope of insulation is regulated for new builds, but essential if you want to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of your existing home. Get in touch to talk to us about your project or insulation requirements. To see our insulation range Click Here
To ensure your home, and the insulation in it performs, it’s crucial that you give air no chance to move either into or out of your home where you don’t want it to. Fitting insulation to a high standard is imperative, but there are products available to further improve airtightness where you need it.
For as long as houses have been built, good ventilation has been key to allowing airflow to maintain air quality, control moisture, and help heating systems perform as they should. Talk to us about everything from simple ventilation bricks to the latest systems for your project.
Talking Home Energy Efficiency's Language
What is an EPC?
We've left it to the consumer advice experts Energy Saving Trust to explain this. Check it out here.
Want to know more of the official line on EPCs, head to the Government Energy Performance Certificates pages.
What is SAP?
Check out this short introduction to SAP.
What is a U Value?
So, what is a U-value?
A U-value is a sum of the thermal resistances of the layers that make up an entire building element – for example, a roof, wall or floor. It also includes adjustments for any fixings or air gaps.
A U-value value shows, in units of W/m²·K, the ability of an element to transmit heat from a warm space to a cold space in a building, and vice versa. The lower the U-value, the better insulated the building element.
A building element’s U-value is extremely important as there are certain standards that should be reached according to Building Regulations / Standards.
(Source: Kingspan).
Grants and financial support:
With Government pushing to improve the energy efficiency of UK housing stock in line with it’s net carbon zero targets, there are incenitives and grants available to support the installation of measures to improve energy efficiency, depending upon your circumstances. Check out the current grants here: Home energy grants — Simple Energy Advice.
Marley Roofing Sustainability
"For close to a century, Marley has been tackling some of the key challenges of the day. From launching the UK's first dry fix roof systems back in 1975, being one of the first UK construction materials providers to achieve ISO 14001 environmental compliance, to launching the ground-breaking EcoLogic tile, which absorbs harmful NOx pollutants, and introducing the UK's first fully-integrated solar roof system in 2019.
As part of our journey, we continue to look forwards to where we can make a positive impact for future generations, addressing the environmental, social and economic challenges society faces today and in the future.
We care about the way we do things and are passionate about making a positive difference in all areas we operate. We realise we have more to do."
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