The effects of subframe systems on thermal performance

SFS explores the effects of rainscreen subframe systems on the thermal performance of external walls to reduce heat loss through the building envelope.

To help protect the planet’s ecosystem from being plunged into a whole new state, the thermal performance of buildings will be crucial in the fight against climate change. The effects of rainscreen subframe systems on the overall thermal performance of external walls, the specification process, and unique solutions to reduce heat loss through the building envelope is explored by SFS in its whitepaper.

The climate change emergency
It’s no surprise that future building standards need to be tighter to bring down such high levels of heat loss and energy consumption. While improvements to Part L of the Building Regulations have been mapped out to the ‘Future Homes Standard’, there is still little focus on achieving the quality assurance that would ultimately avoid the performance gap. At the same time, construction products and techniques must continue to improve to bring operational energy efficiency in line with designed energy efficiency.

Calculating an accurate U-Value
Energy efficiency can only be tackled by understanding the thermal performance of rainscreen walls, where building fabric heat losses are most prevalent as external walls are responsible for 35% total heat loss of a building. Part of that process for understanding how much heat loss a building has is finding out its U-Value.

Reducing heat loss through rainscreen subframes
The careful selection, specification and installation of an optimal thermally efficient subframe system, supported by the appropriate thermal modelling is crucial.

Developments in recent years means that newer systems now have lower thermal conductivity, allowing specifiers and contractors to choose a solution to lower the loss of heat.

To find out how you can build greener and optimise the buildup with the NVELOPE® system, download our whitepaper today.