The Only Way To Fully Comply With Building Regulations.
Until now, it has been very difficult for architects to meet the requirements of conflicting regulations that require low U-values in the loft but also safe maintenance access to equipment there. LoftZone StoreFloor is the only solution to all of these regulations and, for the first time, a product can now be specified that offers total rather than just partial compliance.
It has long been a legal requirement for architects to provide safe access pathways to equipment in the loft that will need maintenance. For example, CDM Regulations 2015 state that “designers must consider their designs and any potential risks which may affect those who may maintain or clean the building once it is built”. At the same time, the loft must be insulated adequately and the old method of using raised timber battens causes cold bridging, which changes the SAP score for the roof, and must be accounted for with a psi factor correction.
LoftZone StoreFloor uniquely solves this problem. The product forms a safe structure for a storage or access deck above up to 350mm of insulation without causing cold bridging, whilst being cheaper and faster to install than timber. For U-values requiring more than 350mm of conventional insulation, one layer of timber cross-battens can be laid to raise up the LoftZone supports, or insulation of a higher thermal resistance used. LoftZone StoreFloor has passed all required industry tests and is the only raised loft floor system that has BBA certification.
Protecting Insulation.
According to Britain’s largest ever survey of how people use their lofts, carried out by the Carbon Trust, 82% of people living in UK private and social houses use their loft for storage. Of these, 78% said their loft was “more than half full” and 65% had boarded their loft already. Of the total population, 76% said that using the loft for storage was either “very important” or “essential”. This has a massive implication on the real-life U-value of the loft in use. Tests by the National Physical Laboratory showed that compressing insulation from 270mm to joist height reduces its thermal resistance by 50-60%, thereby at least doubling the heat lost. In fact, compressed loft insulation accounts for a 28% In-Use Reduction factor in the U-value for deep loft insulation across the whole UK housing stock.
It has long been a legal requirement for architects to provide safe access pathways to equipment in the loft that will need maintenance. For example, CDM Regulations 2015 state that “designers must consider their designs and any potential risks which may affect those who may maintain or clean the building once it is built”. At the same time, the loft must be insulated adequately and the old method of using raised timber battens causes cold bridging, which changes the SAP score for the roof, and must be accounted for with a psi factor correction.
LoftZone StoreFloor uniquely solves this problem. The product forms a safe structure for a storage or access deck above up to 350mm of insulation without causing cold bridging, whilst being cheaper and faster to install than timber. For U-values requiring more than 350mm of conventional insulation, one layer of timber cross-battens can be laid to raise up the LoftZone supports, or insulation of a higher thermal resistance used. LoftZone StoreFloor has passed all required industry tests and is the only raised loft floor system that has BBA certification.
CPD Certified.
Members of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists can gain one hour’s Continuous Professional Development by viewing an online training course provided by LoftZone on the In-Use factors affecting the practical performance of loft insulation. Click on the CIAT logo for instructions on how to access the course.
Efficient Homes.
Watch a short video about why squashed insulation is a major problem.