Helping to drive Passivhaus delivery in the UK
30th September 2014

Aluminium architectural glazing systems provider Reynaers at Home has highlighted architects’ concerns surrounding sustainability and energy efficiency in residential housing.
 
Head of Reynaers at Home Hugh Moss said: “In our architects’ survey 57% of British architects said the most popular industry trend today in residential housing was energy efficiency. When asked what most homes were missing, some 13% responded with the issue of sustainability.”

Both of these topics are addressed with the CS range of aluminium windows from Reynaers at Home, which offer some of the best technical performances of an aluminium system available on the market today. There is even a solution suitable for Passivhaus’s stringent standards, which were introduced to reduce the energy demands of buildings.

Reynaers at Home’s CS 104 door, with insulating panel, has been certified as a Passivhaus component. As well as the necessary thermal calculation, the CS 104 has gone through a series of stringent tests before becoming the first aluminium door to gain this certification. With an insulation value Ud of 0.75 W/m²K, the CS 104 achieved an insulation value of 0.80 W/m²K on the installed element. Its air tightness achieved a class 4 in all tested climates, over and above the requirement of Passivhaus.

The company’s CW 50-HI curtain wall system is also certified suitable for Passivhaus application. This certification requires an overall insulation value of max. 0.7 W/m²K using glass with Ug 0.7 W/m²K and a panel with Up of 0.25 W/m²K.  With the CW 50-HI profiles, the curtain wall system achieved the overall insulation value of 0.66 W/m²K.
Hugh Moss said: “Energy used in constructing, occupying and operating buildings represents approximately 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. In the move towards sustainability, construction and buildings in general have been highlighted as a major area for attention. Innovation and sustainable product design is key in reducing the amount of energy used both in the construction of buildings and in their everyday use.”

It’s estimated that 40% of the heating energy loss comes from windows or the gaps around windows but, thanks to major innovations that have taken place over the years in the aluminium windows industry, this is preventable.

Hugh Moss adds: “Reynaers at Home is continually working to improve the U value of our range of aluminium windows and doors to ensure that they meet the increasing demands for energy efficiency and sustainability in construction.”

www.reynaersathome.co.uk