ROCKWOOL® develops CPD to help close the performance gap

ROCKWOOL, the UK’s leading stone wool insulation manufacturer, has launched a new CPD (Continuing Professional Development) module to help specifiers and installers understand the issue and the role insulation can play in avoiding the performance gap; a discrepancy in modelled energy use at the design stage, compared to the as-built stage.

The Thermal Regulation and the Performance Gap CPD aims to improve understanding of the role insulation plays in reducing the energy consumption, and therefore the rate of carbon emissions, of buildings. ROCKWOOL has also published a technical bulletin demonstrating how samples independently measured at the University of Salford provided data relating to the thermal performance between abutted stone wool slabs.

“The CPD explains the impact of the performance gap on building thermal efficiency. It also looks at the current regulations and standards and how stone wool can help address the performance gap,” comments James Francis, Product Manager at ROCKWOOL.

During the CPD participants will learn about the importance of specifying the right insulation for each project, based on detailed calculations and how this, combined with installing it correctly, is the first step to narrowing, or even avoiding, the performance gap. Some of the most common mistakes during installation that can have long-term effects on the energy performance of the building, will also be addressed.

Finally, the CPD outlines ROCKWOOL’s range of non-combustible stone wool insulation products and how thermal tests conducted by the University of Salford Thermal Measurement Laboratory show that, when considering five product types over the density range of 27 to 152 kg/m³, there is no loss in thermal performance between a stone wool slab and two tightly jointed pieces.

The new module is available through the manufacturer’s bespoke learning platform, ROCKWOOL Learning, or as a traditional in-person course. To learn more about the CPD, and to register for a place, visit: https://rockwool.link/pg-cpd