To mitigate the construction industry's environmental impact, the Australian Building Codes Board aims to increase the energy efficiency of Australian buildings by up to 40% by 2030.
In May 2019, the National Construction Code (NCC) was updated to reflect this, setting new requirements for the energy efficiency of buildings (Section J, Volume 1). These requirements specifically referenced a New Zealand Standard in NZS 4214:2006 as the method to determine the total thermal resistance of parts of the building. The introduction of this method means thermal bridging between building elements must be accounted for in thermal calculations, thus directly impacting the Total R-value of the building elements.
Kingspan Insulation enlisted Norman Disney & Young to conduct a thermal performance comparison assessment. The assessment compared the performance of a traditional wall lining system with bulk insulation against the Kingspan Kooltherm K17 Insulated Plasterboard wall lining system.
The assessment identified that using Kingspan Kooltherm K17 Insulated Plasterboard delivers a high thermal performance solution with more efficient use of space while reducing energy costs. The conclusion was that using Kooltherm K17 as a continuous layer of insulation helps manage the effects of thermal bridging and reduces wall thickness.
To download the white paper on the above comparison assessment, fill out the short form below.