IMPROVING THERMAL PERFORMANCE

Improved thermal performance of up to 270%+ can be achieved in timber frame wall construction simply by using a new, insulating breather wall membrane.

Glidevale, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of building and roofing membranes, has further improved its Protect TF200 Thermo reflective low emissivity breather membrane, used in the air cavity between the internal wall insulation and outer cladding.

The new Protect TF200 Thermo now provides 0.67m2/KW thermal resistance, an increase of 35% over the previous version, and a 270+% thermal resistance improvement over a standard unventilated airspace of 20mm or more. New Protect TF200 Thermo has achieved BRE certification, and Glidevale is offering an option to help customers calculate the improved performance within any form of wall construction using BRE U value calculator software.

As well as complementing the wall’s thermal performance, TF200 Thermo has a water vapour resistance of 0.5MNs/g, which meets the requirements of NHBC, TRADA and BS5250. It also provides a second line of defence against water penetration during the construction phase

Matthew McAndry, Glidevale Technical Manager, observes, “The key in the growing demand to construct airtight, thermally efficient buildings is keeping the warm inside and the moisture out. The improved Protect TF200 Thermo achieves both in one easy to use membrane, and helps reduce the carbon footprint. ”

As well as improving the thermal performance of a building, Glidevale maintains using TF200 Thermo reflective membrane in a still air cavity can reduce insulation costs by 15%. Additionally, the airspace can be used as a service void, reducing the need for penetrations in the vapour control layer.

UV and heat stabilised, the membrane’s reflective surface specially treated to be corrosion and damage resistant. Protect TF200 Thermo has high burst, tensile and nail tear strengths, minimising damage in transport, during installation and on-site.

Protect TF200 Thermo is the latest addition to the Glidevale range of Protect membranes, including Protect A1 and Wunderlay impermeable underlays, VP400 vapour permeable underlay, Protect TF200 vapour permeable membrane for timber frame buildings and Protect VC Foil insulating vapour control layer. Glidevale is part of the Building Product Design Group, which specialise in developing and bringing to market innovative yet practical roofing and ventilation products, in line with changing requirements.