Information for builders, architects & self builders

Code For Sustainable Homes

It has been an aspiration of Government and many in the Construction Sector to improve the quality of new homes. Over the last few years the standard of Building Regulations has improved, particularly for energy efficiency. Whilst there have been initiatives for higher standards, such as Life Time Homes, the majority of new homes in Britain have been designed simply to pass the minimum standard required in Building Regulations.

Fabric First Solutions last the lifetime of the building and do not require additional expense post construction, contracting the on-going cost of installing and maintaining renewable, mechanical and electrical systems.

The Kingspan TEK™ Building System provides an improvement of DER (dwelling emissions rate) over TER (target emissions rate) of at least 25% which is the mandatory requirement for Passive House, without extensive use of renewables or heat pumps. Utilising the Kingspan TEK™ Building System will provide the lowest U value for the thinnest wall whilst helping you to achieve Passive House.

Passive Homes

Passive homes are assessed across several categories the main one being related to the energy performance of the build. The most cost effective & permanent way of scoring highly in this category is to construct an efficient shell that will require less heat & energy to run. This is achieved with high insulation ratings & considerable air tightness, both of which are inherent properties of SIP panels.

Speed of build – resulting in shortening borrowing times of finance, quicker returns on purchasing and rentals. Shorter requirement for onsite Access and plant hire equipment. Cost saving.

Thomas Carter offer design, manufacture & erection of SIP build systems including production of all design information, structural calcs to assist with building regs approval & code assessment.

After using various other manufacturers’ panels, we have found the Kingspan TEK™ Building System performance across all construction criteria to be unsurpassed.

All new build structures are required to achieve building regs and above, with a significant increase for any construction requiring public money, such as housing association dwellings, school buildings etc.

With the difficulties of today’s design requirements Thomas Carter offer a simple solution to achieve some of the main elements incorporated within the build.  Key elements of modern building practices are to access the energy performance/usage of the building, to aide with modern living conditions and systems one would need a building envelope with high levels of insulation extreme levels of air tightness whilst still retaining structural integrity & keeping overall wall thickness to a minimum, such benefits are standard when building with SIP.

Why Kingspan TEK™ Building System

Energy Efficiency & Environmental Sustainability.

• The need for environmentally sustainable living has been well documented.
• The Kingspan TEK™ Building System is CFC (Chlorofluorocarbons)/HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbons)-free with zero ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential).
• The Kingspan TEK™ Building System achieves U-values of 0.19 to 0.15 W/m2.K as standard for walls and roofs, depending on panel thickness 142 or 172mm.
• To achieve this thermal performance in traditionally constructed timber frame or masonry cavity walls, greater wall thicknesses may be required – thicker walls that encroach on living space.
• The Kingspan TEK™ Building System can achieve air-tightness levels as good as 0.91 air changes per hour at 50 Pa.
• It is very difficult for traditional timber frame or masonry construction methods to achieve this standard.
• These factors combined, could result in your home being so energy efficient, that you may have potential to avoid installing a conventional heating system e.g. radiators altogether.
• Concern for the environment does not have to equate with being out of pocket.
• People that use the Kingspan TEK™ Building System to build their dream home can also see the financial benefits that the system offers.
• To achieve Kingspan TEK™ Building System levels of energy efficiency with traditional masonry or timber frame construction methods would demand a significant premium in build costs.

Build Speed

• Kingspan TEK™ Building System roof and wall panels are pre-insulated, which means that the construction of the structural frame and the. installation of thermal insulation for your home happen in one operation.
• This can save time and money compared with traditional methods such as timber frame and masonry where the equivalent operation may have to be carried out in a number of different phases.

Waste Landfill

• Kingspan TEK™ Building System is factory produced and thus suffers from minimal on-site wastage and thus lower waste disposal charges.

Building Reliability

• Your Kingspan TEK™ Building System scheme must only be erected by your Kingspan TEK™ Delivery Partner or a registered contractor. Defects are vastly reduced due to the factory-controlled manufacture of the system. By virtue of the system’s prefabricated nature, it can only be erected one way and thus installation errors are evident almost immediately and are relatively easily rectified.

Insulated Warm Roof Space as Standard

• Due to the roof and wall panels being pre-insulated, your home can have an insulated warm roof space as standard. The application of insulation as a second operation, as will be the case when building your home with traditional rafter techniques, is unnecessary.

Approvals

• The Kingspan TEK™ Building System is recognised by building warranty providers such as NHBC and Zurich Municipal. It also holds an independent BBA certification.
• The Kingspan TEK™ Building System has Lantac (local authority national type approval confederation) approval, which means that it will be recognised and verified by the local authority building control network. Consequently, many objections that local building control departments may raise when using a modern construction technique are dealt with before they can be raised.

Self Build

The Government are keen to have self builders building homes that significantly exceed current building regulations, such as Passive House, reducing their Carbon Footprint ie; the amount of energy we consume just to live.  One of the most efficient ways of doing this is to reduce the amount of heat required to run our homes & the amount lost due to poor construction & insulation.  This can be achieved using SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels). These are very light, strong, rigid & versatile.

Thomas Carter specialise in the design & construction of such energy efficient structures & have helped a wide range of clients turn their dreams & aspirations into a reality from the self-builder to the architect.

With innovative designs, ideas & build methods our fully trained & accredited staff would be confident of accommodating your construction needs.

Thomas Carter Ltd Offers:

• In house design (by our experienced & trained designers) using the latest in CAD technology
• Full Structural design calculations
• Manufacture & Installation of SIPs build & components:
  
            – SIP Wall Panels (142 & 172mm)
  
            – SIP Roof Panels (142 & 172mm)
  
            – TJI/FJI Joist Systems
  
            – Posi Joist Systems
  
            – Protec P5 Flooring
  
            – Timber Cut Roofs
  
            – Glulam/Kerto/Purlins
  
            – TF Internals LB & non-LB
• Turn-Key Option for local building projects

All materials reliably sourced and certified.