Assignment 3-SUM 304

MSc Construction Project Management

Module : SUM 304

Sustainable Development

Assignment 3

Name : Buddika Mendis

Student Number : 1510533

Date : 8/01/2017

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Content

1.0 Initial Postings to Topic 1, 2 & 3 .................................................................... 3

1.1 Initial postings for Topic 1 ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2 Initial postings for Topic 2 ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3 Initial postings for Topic 3 ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.0 Best Answer to Fellow Student’s post .......... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.0 Two References from Fellow Student’s PostError! Bookmark not defined.

Abbreviations

UNEP -United Nations Environmental Program

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1.0 Introduction

As per UNEP (2009), “Buildings are responsible for more than 40 percent of global energy
use and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, both in developed and developing
countries”. Figure 1 show that buildings account for 37% of total greenhouse gas emission in
UK by 2012 (Committee on climate change 2013, p30). Therefore improving the energy
conservation of existing old buildings, especially which made more than 100 years ago shall
make a considerable value on reducing the CO2 emission. Figure 2 & 3 show the percentage
of buildings with respective age in England & Ireland.

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Figure 4 shows the typical parts of a building and degree of heat loss and gains. Controlling
the heat lost/gain is the preliminary method of saving the energy in a building. With the
development of technology, different types of retrofitting methods can be adopted; but need
to make proper studies of condition of existing building prior to decide the selection of
methodology and materials.

2.0 Walls and Energy Conservation

Most of the buildings made 100 years ago have been based on the concept of breathable
construction which the used materials has the ability of absorb and release the moisture
(English Herritage 2012). Figure xxxx shows the water vapour movement of such traditional
building through the masonry wall [Granite or sandstone] with lath plaster finish at internally.
Figure xxxxx shows how the air is circulated in a traditional building. Insulation of walls is
one of the most efficient ways of improving the energy conservation.

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Refer to Table xxx, insulating the internal wall can be done in four different ways depending
on the condition of original fabric remaining. Table xxx shows the degree of improvement in
comparing the U-value (Historic Scotland 2010).

Insulation method Materials can be used

cellulose, polystyrene bead,
1.0 Blow behind lath and plaster- blowing perlite and a water based foam
2.0 Insulation applied onto existing lath and plaster Aerogel-based boards or blankets
calcium silicate board, wood fibre
3.0 Material applied directly to masonry without framing based board products
hemp, wood fibre or aerogel
4.0 Insulation applied within framing boards

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Refer to figure xxxx, in case of insulating behind the lath-plaster; the cavity shall be filled by
drilling access holes of 10- 15 mm at 1-2 m c/c and blowing the insulation material by air
blow method. The selected materials should be “open cell” type in order not to disturb the
breathing function of the walls.

In the application insulation materials onto the lath plaster, Aerogel-based blanket [5 or
10mm] shall be applied an expanded steel mesh followed by two coats of plaster. Finally, a
permeable paint coat can be applied for decorative
purpose.

Refer to figure xxxx, insulation boards can be directly

fixed to masonry walls where there is no lath-plaster.
The existing surface should be prepared by stripping
and application of vapour permeable adhesive. Plaster
can be applied onto the boards and finished with
permeable type paint for decorative purpose. Refer to
figure xxx, insulation boards can be fixed onto a

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timber frame where the existing lining is damaged or if the selected material is thicker based
board.

In case of insulating the external masonry wall, the most common practice is fixing an
insulation layer followed by a protective render or cladding in order to protect the insulation
from weather and mechanical damages. However, this method has some negative impacts
such as disturb the aesthetic view due to hiding the original wall behind the new layers. As an
alternative to this, two component systems such as insulating lime render are available on
market, but provide a low level of improvements. Therefore, selection of materials has to be
made carefully while making sure that improved wall should achieve U-value of less than
0.30 W/m2K (Yates 2012)

Insulating the cavity walls

Cavity walls can be insulated in three ways; ie externally, internally or insulating within the
cavity (Historic England 2012). Figure xxx shows the typical arrangement in cavity wall
insulation and usable materials as well as emphasizing the minimum cavity of 50 mm to
avoid the bridging of cavity by moisture. The application of materials shall be by blowing or
injecting with pressure through access holes drilled at equal intervals (usually 1.0 m c/c).

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Table xxx shows savings of cavity installation of different house models, estimated by
Energy Savings Trust (2016).

Semi
Detach detach Mid Bungal
Type of Improvement ed ed terrace ow Flat
England, Scotland & wales
Fuel bill savings (£/year) £275 £155 £105 £110 £90
Carbon dioxide savings 1,100
(kgCO2/year) kg 660 kg 430 kg 450 kg 360 kg

Nothern Ireland
Fuel bill savings (£/year) £275 £155 £105 £110 £85
Carbon dioxide savings 1,400
(kgCO2/year) kg 790 kg 530 kg 545 kg 430 kg

Source : energysavingtrust 2016

Insulation of Roof & Floor

Insulating the roof loft with sheep’s wool would be the standard and common way of
reducing the heat lost through roof. But there are modified insulation board materials
available in the market such as “KingSpan” which eliminate the risk of cold bridging and
condensate formation (KingSpan 2015). Figure xxx shows how the boards are installed above
and below the rafters. Flat roof of concrete decks can be insulated and protected with newly
applied water proofed coatings such as UV resistant non-bituminous membranes.

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Floors of old buildings can be either timber deck or concrete; untreated floor absorb heat and
considerably affects the thermal comfort inside the building. For a timber floor, insulation
board can be laid followed by a grit of new joist and secondary floor sheets. In case of solid
floors, insulation board panels such as Aerogel type can be fixed with adhesive.
Alternatively, insulation materials such as hemp or recycled glass materials can be mixed
within the lime concrete and apply as a homogeneous layer. Refer to figure xxx, Placing a
light weight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) on to the solum followed by a screed of lime
concrete at top is also another alternative insulation method (Historic Scotland 2010) .

Improvement of windows

Windows can be simply improved by providing blinds, curtains and shutters, but expensive
applications such as secondary glazing and double glazed units would cut off considerable
energy loss (Richards and Smith 2014). Table xxxx shows the different types of improvement
methods and efficiency in terms of reduction of heat loss. Draughts are generally accounts for
15-20% of heat lost which are associated with doors & windows needs to be properly sealed
with appropriate materials.

4.0 Other Electro-mechanical upgrades

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In addition to fabric improvements, energy conservation can be done by a series of low cost
applications as listed below (Westminster City Council 2013).

1.0 Replace conventional light bulbs to low energy alternatives such as LED, CFL
2.0 Insulate hot water tanks and pipe lines
3.0 Replace chimneys with removable balloon/open-close type with damper plates
4.0 Replace the electro-water fittings with more efficient applications

In the retrofitting guide of Westminster City Council (2013), it could find some alternative
applications such as using Micro combined heat & power, Ground or air source heat pumps,
Solar photovoltaic system and Solar thermal panels to improve the energy conservation in old
buildings. In a refurbishment case study 12 of Historic Scotland, Bradford and Grant (2014)
has concluded that installation of bio mass system for conventional boiler can save 53.6
tonnes of fossil fuel CO2 emissions, compared to oil usage.

5.0 Pitfalls of Energy improvement processes

Majority of modern insulation materials as well as paints are moisture resistant; hence restrict
the breathing function of masonry walls. As a result, there is a risk of condensing the vapour
inside the walls which is called interstitial condensation. It will lead to decay the timber,
corrosion of steel fittings and damage the finish of the walls, movement & crystallization of
salt (Government of Ireland 2010).

Considering the internal insulation of cavity walls, as the internal temperature of buildings
will be higher than external for most of the year, the cavity temperature can reduce and can
lead to increase the risk of wall tie corrosion, frost damage and mould (PICKLES, 2012).

During the activities such as chipping the existing painted surface or handling the existing
hazardous materials such as Asbestos which form part of the preparation work, there is a
potential risk of health issues. This will affect the repair team, occupants as well as
surrounding environment. Hunt (2014) states that high moisture levels as a result if improper
insulation shall lead to increase in moulds, bacteria and insects which harmful to fabric as
well as human health quality.

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Conclusion

Exists for long life cycle is a reason to think about energy conservation

Care should be taken not to disturb the aesthetic view/heritage value of building while
improvements.

Assessment by an expert to be done prior to attempt to retrofitting the building. During

retrofitting applications, materials with low embedded carbon should be used in order to
minimize the carbon emission. Care should be taken to allow the continual breathing
functions of walls and ventilation of air while retrofitting of fabrics. Table xxx shows few of
case studies which recorded a significant improvement in Energy conservation.

Reference List

UNEP, 2009. Buildings and Climate Change: Summary for Decision Makers, France, Sustainable
Consumption & production Branch of United Nations Environment Program

Hunt R (2014). SPAB Briefings: Energy Efficiency in Old Buildings, London, The Society
for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Committee on climate change 2013, Meeting Carbon Budget; 2013 Progress report to parliament,
UK, Committee on Climatic Change

(Historic Scotland 2010). Fabric Improvements for Energy Efficiency in Traditional

Buildings : Short Guide, Scotland, National Conservation Centre of Historic Scotland

http://www.ukgbc.org/resources/additional/key-statistics-construction-industry-and-carbon-
emissions

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PICKLES, D 2012). Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings : Insulating Solid Walls,
England, Historic England

English Heritage, 2012. Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Application of Part L of the
Building Regulations to historic and traditionally constructed buildings, London, English
Heritage

(Yates Tim, 2012. Solid-wall Construction: Measuring and Improving Thermal Performance,
The building Conservation Directtry, [online] -
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/solid-wall-construction/solid-wall-
construction.htm

(Westminster City Council ,2013. Retrofitting Historic Buildings for Sustainability, London, Built Environment City Planning
Delivery Unit of Westminster City Council

Government of Ireland ,2010). Energy efficiency in traditional buildings : Advice series, Dublin,
Stationary office, Environment heritage & local Government , Government of Ireland

Bradford A and Grant N (2014). Historic Scotland Refurbishment Case Study 12: Installation of
biomass system, Scotland, Historic Scotland

(Richards A and Smith P 2014. Improving Energy Efficiency in Historic Cornish Buildings, Unitee
Kingdom, Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service

KingSpan, 2015, Domestic Refurbishment: Insulation, United Kingdom, KingSpan Insulation

Limited

Energy Savings Trust (2016). Cavity Wall [online]

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-insulation/cavity-wall

Mosher M and McGee C (2013) . Passive design insulation, Sydney, Government of

Australia

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It is estimated that typical heat losses from a building are as follows: > Walls 35% > Roofs 25% >
Floors 15% > Draughts 15% > Windows 10% - site
http://www.ahrrga.gov.ie/app/uploads/2015/07/Energy-Efficiency-in-Traditional-Buildings-2010.pdf

http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/where-am-i-losing-heat-home/

http://blog.kingspaninsulation.ie/category/walls/

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