October 2010

An introduction to Part L insulating pipes and ducts

The insulation of pipes and ducts is essential to minimise

heat losses for heated systems and heat gains for
cooled systems. For cooled systems, it is also important
to ensure that the risk of condensation is adequately
controlled. Guidance on controlling condensation is also
provided in this Part L Rockwool guide.
The new Approved Documents ADL1A, ADL1B, ADL2A and ADL2B rely on second-tier documents published
by the department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to provide detailed information on the minimum
provisions necessary to comply with the requirements of the Regulations.

The Part L second-tier documents for pipe and duct insulation

ADL1A and ADL1B Dwellings
The Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide
2010 provides guidance on the means of complying
with requirements for space heating systems and hot
water systems in new and existing domestic buildings.

This document is a support document to our publication

an introduction to Part L 2010 which is available from
our website at www.rockwool.co.uk/partL

Straight talking solutions

ADL2A and ADL2B Buildings other than dwellings

The Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide
2010 provides guidance on the means of complying
with requirements for space heating systems, hot water
systems and cooling & ventilation systems in new and
existing non-domestic buildings.

Domestic Heating compliance

Domestic heating compliance guide

Compliance with approved documents L1A: new

dwellings and L1B: existing dwellings
Approved Documents ADL1A and ADL1B rely
on second tier documents to provide detailed
information on the minimum provisions necessary to
comply with the requirements of the Regulations.

For replacement systems, whenever a boiler or

hot water storage vessel is replaced in an existing
system, any pipes (in the situations above) that
are exposed as part of the work or are otherwise
accessible should be insulated with insulation
complying with the requirements of the Domestic
Building Services Compliance Guide (2010)(in line
with the maximum permissible heat loss indicated in
the Supplementary Information column), and labelled
accordingly or to some lesser standard where
practical constraints dictate.

The Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide

(2010) is a second tier document providing guidance
on the means of complying with the requirements for
space heating systems and hot water systems.

Supplementary information

Minimum provisions for insulation of pipes

The minimum provisions shown below for the
insulation of pipes are repeated in the Domestic
Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide
(2010) for fuel types and heating systems as follows;
Gas-fired primary and secondary
space heating and hot water
Oil-fired primary and secondary
space heating and hot water
Electric primary and secondary
space heating and hot water
Solid-fuel primary and secondary
space heating and hot water
Community heating
Solar water heating

Where insulation is labelled as complying with

the Domestic Building Services Compliance
Guide (2010) it must not exceed the following
heat loss levels:

Minimum provision

In new systems pipes should, in the following

cases, be insulated with insulation complying with
the requirements of the Domestic Building Services
Compliance Guide (2010) (in line with the maximum
permissible heat loss indicated in the Supplementary
Information column), and labelled accordingly:
Primary circulation pipes for heating and hot water
circuits should be insulated wherever they pass
outside the heated living space or through voids
which communicate with and are ventilated from
unheated spaces
Primary circulation pipes for domestic hot water
circuits should be insulated throughout their
length, subject only to practical constraints
imposed by the need to penetrate joists and other
structural elements
All pipes connected to hot water storage vessels,
including the vent pipe, should be insulated for
at least 1m from their points of connection to the
cylinder (or they should be insulated up to the
point where they become concealed)
If secondary circulation is used, all pipes kept hot
by that circulation should be insulated

Insulation for pipework in unheated areas

Extra provision may need to be made to protect
central heating and hot water pipework in
unheated areas against freezing. Further guidance
is available in:
BS 5422:2009 Method for specifying thermal
insulating materials for pipes, tanks, vessels,
ductwork and equipment operating within the
temperature range of 40C to +700C
BRE Report No 262 Thermal insulation: avoiding
risks, 2002 edition

Table 1: Maximum
permissible heat loss* (W/m)
(Thickness of Rockwool Rocklap
H&V Pipe Section)

Pipe Diameter
(OD) mm
10 mm

7.23 (n/a)

12 mm

7.35 (n/a)

15 mm

7.89 (20mm)

22 mm

9.12 (20mm)

28 mm

10.07 (20mm)

35 mm

11.08 (20mm)

42 mm

12.19 (20mm)

54 mm

14.12 (20mm)

*In assessing the thickness of insulation required to meet

the provision, standardised conditions should be used
in all compliance calculations based in this instance
on a horizontal pipe at 60C in still air at 15C. Further
assistance in converting these heat loss limits to levels
(thickness) of insulation for specific thermal conductivities
is found in the TIMSA HVAC Guidance for achieving
compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations.
Due to rounding up to the nearest commercially available
thickness, the thermal performance required will be met
or exceeded.

2 | An introduction to Part L insulating pipes and ducts

Pipes and Ducts

Non-domestic compliance guide

Non-domestic heating, cooling and

ventilation compliance guide

Compliance with approved documents L2A: New

Buildings other than Dwellings and L2B: Existing
Buildings other than Dwellings

Pipework and duct insulation

Approved Documents ADL2A and ADL2B (2010)

rely on second-tier documents to provide detailed
information on the minimum provisions necessary to
comply with the requirements of the Regulations.
The Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance
Guide 2010 (the Non-domestic HVAC Guide) is a
second-tier document providing guidance on the
means of complying with the requirements for space
heating systems, hot water systems, cooling and
ventilation systems.
Section 11 of the Non-domestic Guide outlines the
minimum provisions needed to comply with ADL2A
and ADL2B when insulating pipes and ducts serving
space heating, hot water and cooling systems in
new-build and in existing buildings.
The insulation of pipes and ducts is essential to
minimise heat losses for heated systems and heat
gains for cooled systems. For cooled systems,
it is also important to ensure that the risk of
condensation is adequately controlled. Although
not within the scope of the Non-Domestic Guide,
guidance on controlling condensation is also
provided in this Rockwool Guide.
a direct hot water pipes and low, medium & high
temperature heating pipes
b cooled water supply pipes
c heated air ducts, cooled air ducts and dualpurpose heated & cooled air ducts
d condensation control

Straight talking solutions | 3

Non-domestic (continued)

a. Direct hot water and heating

pipework

Pipework serving space heating and hot water

systems should be insulated in all areas outside
of the heated building envelope. In addition, pipes
should be insulated in all voids within the building
envelope and within spaces that will normally be
heated if there is a possibility that those spaces
might be maintained at temperatures different
to those maintained in other zones. The guiding
principles are that control should be maximised and
that heat loss from un-insulated pipes should only be
permitted where the heat can be demonstrated as
always useful. In order to demonstrate compliance
the maximum permissible heat losses for different
pipe sizes and temperatures, as given in the table
below should not be exceeded.
Maximum permissible heat loss (W/m) for direct hot water and heating pipes.
Reference Table 41 Section 11 Building Services Compliance Guide (2010)

Table 2: Maximum Permissible Heat Loss (W/m)

(Thickness of Rockwool Rocklap H&V Pipe Section)

Pipe Outside
Diameter (mm)

Hot Water1

Low Temp. Heating2

95C

Medium Temp
Heating3
96C 120C

High Temp Heating4

121C 150C

17.2

6.60 (25mm)

8.90 (25mm)

13.34 (25mm)

17.92 (25mm)

21.3

7.13 (25mm)

9.28 (30mm)

13.56 (30mm)

18.32 (30mm)

26.9

7.83 (30mm)

10.06 (35mm)

13.83 (40mm)

18.70 (40mm)

33.7

8.62 (30mm)

11.07 (35mm)

14.39 (45mm)

19.02 (50mm)

42.4

9.72 (30mm)

12.30 (35mm)

15.66 (50mm)

19.25 (60mm)

48.3

10.21 (35mm)

12.94 (40mm)

16.67 (50mm)

20.17 (70mm)

60.3

11.57 (35mm)

14.45 (40mm)

18.25 (60mm)

21.96 (70mm)

76.1

13.09 (35mm)

16.35 (45mm)

20.42 (60mm)

24.21 (80mm)

88.9

14.58 (35mm)

17.91 (45mm)

22.09 (60mm)

25.99 (80mm)

114.3

17.20 (40mm)

20.77 (45mm)

25.31 (70mm)

29.32 (80mm)

139.7

19.65 (40mm)

23.71 (50mm)

28.23 (70mm)

32.47 (90mm)

168.3

22.31 (40mm)

26.89 (50mm)

31.61 (70mm)

36.04 (90mm)

219.1

27.52 (40mm)

32.54 (50mm)

37.66 (70mm)

42.16 (90mm)

273.0 & above

32.40 (40mm)

38.83 (50mm)

43.72 (80mm)

48.48 (100mm)

NOTES 1, 2, 3 ,4 To ensure compliance with maximum permissible heat loss criteria, proposed insulation
thicknesses should be calculated according to BS EN ISO 12241 using standardized assumptions:
1
Horizontal pipe at 60C in still air at 15C
2
Horizontal pipe at 75C in still air at 15C
3
Horizontal pipe at 100C in still air at 15C
4
Horizontal pipe at 125C in still air at 15C
Due to rounding up to the nearest commercially available thickness, the thermal performance
required will be met or exceeded.

4 | An introduction to Part L insulating pipes and ducts

Pipes and Ducts

Non-domestic (continued)

b. Cooled pipework

Cooled pipework should be insulated along its whole

length in order to provide the necessary means of
limiting heat gain. Control should be maximised
and heat gain to uninsulated pipes should only be
permitted where the proportion of the cooling load
relating to distribution pipework is proven to be
less than 5% of total load. In order to demonstrate
compliance, the maximum permissible heat gain for
different pipe sizes and temperatures, as given in the
table below, should not be exceeded.
Maximum permissible heat gain for cooled water supplies.
Reference Table 42 Section 11 Building Services Compliance Guide (2010)

Table 3: Maximum Permissible Heat Gain (W/m)

(Thickness of Rockwool Rocklap H&V Pipe Section)

Pipe Outside Diameter

(mm)

>105

Temperature of contents
(C)4.9 to 10.06

0 to 4.97

17.2

2.48 (20mm)

2.97 (20mm)

3.47 (20mm)

21.3

2.72 (20mm)

3.27 (20mm)

3.81 (25mm)

26.9

3.05 (20mm)

3.58 (20mm)

4.18 (25mm)

33.7

3.41 (20mm)

4.01 (25mm)

4.60 (25mm)

42.4

3.86 (20mm)

4.53 (25mm)

5.11 (30mm)

48.3

4.11 (20mm)

4.82 (25mm)

5.45 (30mm)

60.3

4.78 (20mm)

5.48 (25mm)

6.17 (30mm)

76.1

5.51 (25mm)

6.30 (25mm)

6.70 (30mm)

88.9

6.17 (25mm)

6.90 (30mm)

7.77 (30mm)

114.3

7.28 (25mm)

8.31 (30mm)

9.15 (35mm)

139.7

8.52 (25mm)

9.49 (30mm)

10.45 (35mm)

168.3

9.89 (25mm)

10.97 (30mm)

11.86 (35mm)

219.1

12.27 (25mm)

13.57 (30mm)

14.61 (35mm)

273.0 & above

14.74 (25mm)

16.28 (30mm)

17.48 (35mm)

NOTES
The insulation thicknesses shown are calculated specifically against the criteria noted in this table.
The insulation thicknesses shown are not sufficient to prevent condensation on low emissivity surfaces applied to
insulated pipes located in 25C, 80% relative humidity ambient air as described in BS5422. Additional guidance on
the control of condensation is provided in Table 5 of this Rockwool Guide.
To ensure compliance with maximum permissible heat gain criteria, proposed insulation thicknesses should be
calculated according to BS EN ISO 12241 using standardized assumptions:
5
Horizontal pipe at 10C in still air at 25C
6
Horizontal pipe at 5C in still air at 25C
7
Horizontal pipe at 0C in still air at 25C
5, 6, 7

Due to rounding up to the nearest commercially available thickness, the thermal

performance required will be met or exceeded.

Straight talking solutions | 5

Non-domestic (continued)

c. Hot and Cooled Ducting

Ducting should be insulated along its whole length in

order to provide the necessary means of limiting heat
gains and/or heat losses from ducts. Where ducting
may be used for both heating and cooling duties at
different periods during its lifecycle, the provisions
for chilled ducting should be adopted, since these
are the most onerous. The table below indicates
the maximum heat gain/loss per unit area required
to meet these provisions (heat gains are shown as
negative values). As with pipes, additional insulation
may be required to provide adequate condensation
control. Further details regarding these specific
requirements are given in the TIMSA HVAC Guide.

Maximum permissible heat gain/loss for insulated ducts used to carry cooled air (including
those heated ducts used periodically for cooled air). Reference Table 43 Section 11 Building Services
Compliance Guide (2010)

Table 4: Maximum Permissible Heat Gain/Loss (W/m2)

(Thickness of Rockwool Ductwrap)

Heated Duct

Dual Purpose9

Cooled Duct10

16.34 (40mm)

-6.45 (50mm)

-6.45 (50mm)

NOTES
Thicknesses given are calculated specifically against the criteria noted in the table. Adopting these thicknesses may
not necessarily satisfy other design requirements such as control of condensation. Additional guidance
on the control of condensation is provided in Table 5 of this Rockwool Guide.
8, 9 10
To ensure compliance with maximum permissible heat transfer criteria, proposed insulation thicknesses should
be calculated according to BS EN ISO 12241 using standardized assumptions:
8
Horizontal duct at 35C, with 600mm vertical sidewall in still air at 15C
9
Horizontal duct at 13C, with 600mm vertical sidewall in still air at 25C
10
Horizontal duct at 13C, with 600mm vertical sidewall in still air at 25C

Due to rounding up to the nearest commercially available thickness, the thermal

performance required will be met or exceeded.

6 | An introduction to Part L insulating pipes and ducts

d. Condensation Control:Chilled and

cold water pipes
Reference Table 8 (BS5422:2001) Minimum insulation thickness for chilled and cold water supplies to
prevent condensation on a low emissivity outer surface (0.05) with an ambient temperature of +25C and a
relative humidity of 80%

Table: 5 Condensation Control

Outside diameter of steel
pipe on which insulation
has been based (mm)

Temperature of contents (C)

+ 10

26.9

25

30

20

33.7

30

42.4
48.3

Thickness of ROCKWOOL Rocklap H&V Pipe Section (mm)

17.2
21.3

+5

40

25

60.3

35

35

76.1

45

88.9
101.6

30

40

50

114.3
139.7

45

168.3
219.1

35

244.5

50

273.0
323.9
355.6

60

70
40

406.4

60

457.0
508.0

45

610.0
Flat

50

80
70

NOTE: Thicknesses given are calculated specifically against the criteria noted in the table. Adopting
these thicknesses may not necessarily satisfy other design requirements.

Straight talking solutions | 7

Pipes and Ducts

Non-domestic (continued)

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Tel: 0871 222 1780

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