With the ongoing need to build more housing to meet Government targets alongside the increased requirement for energy efficient homes, modern methods of offsite construction (MMC) are being seen as key ways to address the housing shortage.
Protect Membranes, a division of Building Product Design Ltd alongside its sister company Glidevale, is a UK producer of construction membranes and products which are designed for use in offsite construction, whether residential or commercial.
Using innovative reflective membrane technology, Protect’s class leading VC Foil Ultra and TF200 Thermo products are specifically designed to enhance the thermal performance and airtightness of a timber frame panelled wall construction, delivering low emissivity and ensuring radiant heat is reflected back into the structure to minimise absorption and energy transfer.
Both products are fully independently certified by BM TRADA through their Q Mark certification scheme and form part of Protect’s comprehensive range of membranes for the construction and roofing markets. When installed together in a cavity wall with a still airspace, VC Foil Ultra and TF200 Thermo provide a cost effective solution to enhance the thermal efficiency of a building by up to 25%. This is based on the equivalent of up to 60mm of 0.035W/mK insulation to the wall U-value without adding to its overall thickness, thereby maximising the available internal floor area. As well as contributing to the house structure in terms of meeting demanding U-value specifications, combining products can deliver significant cost savings on the wall build. Both membranes feature an easy to understand colour coding system to guide customers on correct installation: red print on VC Foil Ultra, the air and vapour control layer (AVCL) for use on the warm side of the insulation and blue print on TF200 Thermo, a breather membrane to be formed on the sheathing board on the outside / cold side of the insulation.
Traditional masonry construction can also benefit by using Protect VC Foil Ultra and a service void to give an improvement on the U-value result, with no need to parge coat the blockwork, saving time and money, an important driver in the MMC sector.
The Protect membrane solution is further complemented by a range of high tack, untearable adhesive tapes. The “lap and seal” range ensures that junctions between walls and floors/ceilings are fully sealed, providing a cost effective solution to close off any necessary service entry penetrations or repair any accidental site damage.
John Mellor, Product Manager for Protect Membranes said, “Based on our technical calculations, using Protect VC Foil Ultra and TF200 Thermo together within a timber frame construction with a still airspace cavity could provide a saving of over £750* per average two-bed property, whilst still achieving a low U-value of 0.21, when compared to a standard vapour control layer and breather membrane. This represents a tremendous potential for modular build manufacturers to present a complete solution to their housebuilder and housing association clients with a focus on reduced build costs and thermal efficiency. Our technical team is on hand to provide custom U-value calculations, indicating potential savings by request”.
For a free U-value calculation service to help demonstrate a complete build solution for future offsite projects, please contact the Protect technical team on technical@protectmembranes.com or 0161 905 5700, quoting ‘Offsite Hub’.
*This cost saving is based on membranes used for an average 2 bed property built by timber frame with VC Foil Ultra used with TF 200 Thermo in place of a standard VCL and Breather Membrane, enabling insulation savings to be made.
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