EcoTherm®’s newly launched polyisocyanurate (PIR) Underfloor Heating Board has won a place at a new primary school being built on the Bognor Regis Community College campus in West Sussex by main contractor Willmott Dixon. Over 1,000m2 of 40mm EcoTherm® UFH Board is providing energy-saving insulation as part of a Warmafloor Tacker underfloor heating system specified for the project. The new 640 pupil primary school is part of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme to modernise educational facilities on the campus with funding from the Government’s Building Schools for the Future and Every Child Matters programmes.
The UFH Board is the latest addition to EcoTherm®’s range of rigid insulation boards with a lightweight, thermally efficient PIR foam core which gives the highest thermal performance for the minimum thickness. EcoTherm®’s new UFH Board is specifically designed for quick and easy installation of underfloor pipes to save time and money on site. Faster fitting features include a printed grid on the surface of the board to make it easier to align pipes accurately and efficiently. In addition, the Board’s reinforced foil surface ensures superb retention of clips - reducing the number of clips required per square metre. These cost and time saving benefits are combined with an exceptionally low thermal conductivity at 0.023W/mK. EcoTherm® UFH Boards also have a high compressive strength - typically 160kPa - which is above current industry requirements, making them an ideal choice for heavy foot traffic applications.
EcoTherm® UFH Board has been specified for the underfloor heating system on the first floor of the new primary school. The floor comprises a concrete sub floor, followed by 40mm thick 1,200mm x 2,400mm EcoTherm® UFH Boards - the built-in membrane means there is no need for a polythene overlay. Warmafloor 20mm diameter Tacker pipework is fixed to the insulation board’s mesh-reinforced surface using the Tacker system’s specially designed staples and Tacker gun. A wet screed is then laid to a 55mm depth ready for the final floor covering.
EcoTherm® UFH Board is suitable for use with solid concrete floors with screed overlay, as well as suspended beam or block constructions with battens and floating floor covering. Boards are available in a range of thicknesses from 25mm to 75mm depending on the insulation value required. Correctly installed, EcoTherm® PIR boards will last the lifetime of the building. They are also an eco-friendly insulation solution as they are zero ozone depleting and have a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of only 3; considerably less than the ceiling value of 5. The Board’s superior rigid insulation also brings occupier benefits, ensuring that energy is not wasted by heating the building’s foundations, allowing rapid response by the heating system, eliminating cold spots and reducing space heating costs.
With production facilities across Europe, and a brand new high-capacity line at its plant in Essex, EcoTherm® supplies its product range in the UK through insulation distributors and builders’ merchants nationwide.
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