Sustainable earth walls to meet the building regulations
Abstract
The thermal conductivity and diffusivity of un-fired clay bricks, a straw clay mixture and straw bales have been measured using a thermal probe technique, with an iterative method for data analysis. The steady-state air-to-air thermal transmittance, or U-value, and the time-dependent thermal properties of some proposed sustainable earth wall constructions are presented. Sustainable cavity walls of un-fired clay bricks with paper, straw or wool cavity insulation have thermal transmittances less than 0.35 W/m 2 K, and therefore meet the current United Kingdom Building Regulations. A review of possible methods for thermally up-grading existing earth walls, by adding an internal insulated timber frame construction, again demonstrates possible compliance with the current UK thermal regulations.
- Publication:
-
Energy and Buildings
- Pub Date:
- January 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.enbuild.2004.08.005
- Bibcode:
- 2005EneBu..37..451G
- Keywords:
-
- Sustainable walls;
- Earth construction;
- Thermal transmittance;
- Building regulations