Why choose flat roof insulation?
Keeping costs under control is a crucial part of securing contracts and gaining repeat business. Historically, one way that contractors have been able to make savings on flat roof insulation specifications is by selecting hybrid insulation solutions. These typically combine a thin, highly efficient insulation board (such as Polyisocyanurate (PIR)) with a cheaper, lower performing material such as mineral fibre. In practice, this usually meant making a trade-off in the overall thickness of the insulation solution. Nowadays, however, EcoTherm is able to work with contractors to reverse engineer hybrid schemes to a thinner flat roof insulation solution whilst actually saving money – a win-win.
In this blog, we’ll look at the advantages of switching to a full PIR insulation solution.
Reduced thickness
The depth of the insulation layer is a key focus when tackling any flat roof project. In order to reach a compliant U-value with a slim solution you need to pay attention to the thermal conductivity of the insulation material. Materials with a lower thermal conductivity are better at preventing heat loss through conduction, so you can hit your desired U-value with a thinner insulation layer.
EcoTherm offers a number of flat roof insulation options (Eco-Bond, Eco-Fix and Eco-Torch) with a range of thermal conductivities as shown below:
Insulation material | Typical thermal conductivity (W/mK) |
Rock mineral fibre | 0.039 |
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) | 0.034 – 0.038 |
Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) | 0.033 |
PIR | 0.022 – 0.027 |
As you can see, the thermal performance of PIR insulation boards can be considerably better than some other material considerations. This allows for sizeable savings in the overall depth of the insulation solution.
Ease and speed of installation
PIR flat roof insulation solutions can also help to make life easier on site. The rigid boards are light, easy to handle and can be simply cut to size with a fine toothed saw.
As the boards are slimmer, it is possible to deliver a greater area of roof insulation in a single truck load – reducing site congestion and allowing workers to get on with the install. The reduced depth can also mean that it may be feasible to retrofit the insulation layer over an existing waterproofing system whilst still remaining below the parapet height. This can help to speed up your installation, reducing time lost stripping the original waterproofing and dealing with the waste.
Adaptable and robust
Of course, as well as the different insulation options, there is also plenty of choice when it comes to the waterproofing layer. Our range of PIR solutions have been developed to offer compatibility with almost all roof constructions and waterproofing options:
Eco-Fix – for use with mechanically fixed single-ply membranes;
Eco-Bond – for fully adhered membranes; and
Eco-Torch – suitable for use with mastic asphalt and torch-on felt systems.
Depending on the chosen waterproofing system, the compressive performance of our PIR solutions can typically allow workers to carry out occasional maintenance work with just the use of protective boards.
