EDITOR ’ S CHOICE
U-VALUES
WHAT ’ S THE BIG DEAL ?
If you have been involved in any type of new build or refurbishment project lately , you have probably heard about U-Values . But what ’ s it all about and why does it matter ?
The U-value is a measure of thermal transmittance through the fabric of a building , basically how well insulated it is . The lower the U-value , the better the building is at retaining heat within it , so the less energy is required to heat it ( or cool it ).
This is one aspect of improving the environmental performance of a building . Historically in the UK more emphasis has been placed on the use of renewable energy technologies to improve the green credentials of a building , for instance micro generation with wind turbines , solar panels and ground source heat pumps .
While these all have a role in helping meet the current environmental targets of the construction industry , their impact is reduced if the building fabric itself has a high thermal transmittance . Indeed the biggest gains in reducing CO2 emissions from buildings and also saving cost with regard to a
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