Home Energy Savings
Building: Home Energy
KM construction has always used energy saving methods in our home building and renovations. It has always been a point of distinction that has separated us from our competitors. Because we build for you and not for contractors, we are always looking for ways of increasing the long term value of building processes. We are constantly upgrading our building materials, to ensure they are the best home energy savings products on the market. We believe that a smart purchase is better than a cheap purchase. We know that if you build with Home Energy savings in mind, you can save your client thousands over the course of a few years.
Home Energy Building Products
For the first time, it is possible to consider heating to be a style item in the design and decor of your home You can now liberate yourself from unsightly and wasteful conventional solutions. Our philosophy recognises the importance of good design. The Solo heaters add to the styling of your home.
A 50% reduction in boiler size is not unusual due to the fact that Solo was designed to operate with tiny water volumes and the energy saving software allows for continuous adjustment of the heat delivered to ensure no overheating or underheating.
Building on the unprecedented operating economy and success of the Solo Standard range, the Discreet and Modular ranges have been conceived to address developing consumer trends in interior design and lifestyle.
Standard Range:
In our climate, we can get the four seasons during a typical winter day. Solo Hydronic software continually adjusts heating levels to maintain comfort in step with fluctuating weather conditions.
By continually sampling air temperature, the embedded software predicts exact heating requirement and so eliminates excessive energy consumption associated with slow acting underfloor or radiator heating.
To compliment this energy savings of the Solo Radiators we use Kingspan insulation in floors, walls, and roofs for high efficiency insulated builds. Kingspan is a world leader in providing home building insulation. They have made insulation a science and have passed on the savings to their customers. Kingspan is the market leader in the manufacture of premium performance rigid phenolic insulation systems for building fabric and building services applications. The Kooltherm K-range is an extensive range of premium performance rigid phenolic insulants for roofs, walls and floors. Kooltherm® has a thermal conductivity as low as 0.020 W/m.K, therefore achieving regulation compliance through a thinner insulation thickness and providing increased usable internal space.
Buildings, be they residential, commercial or manufacturing account for in excess of 40% of carbon emissions globally. Recognising this, Kingspan has, and continues to, innovate and deliver solutions today that will dramatically reduce the need for energy tomorrow, and provide compelling economic payback.
Becoming the first in the world to develop the Zero Carbon home, which in itself meets the 2016 standards as outlined in the Code for Sustainable Homes, is the latest example of this innovation. This code envisages much higher insulation standards, rainwater recovery, use of renewables such as solar hot water and power generation, all products currently in the Kingspan suite.
Pilkington K Glass
Pilkington energiKare™ reduces the amount of heat loss through windows and it also allows more heat (energy) from the sun in through the window – this effect is known as solar gain.
As solar gain is heat from the sun, it’s ‘free of charge’ and available all year round.
Pilkington energiKare™ contains two special types of glass:-
Pilkington K Glass™, the UKs best selling low emissivity glass which stops heat escaping from homes.
Pilkington Optiwhite™ is a special ‘extra-clear’ type of glass. It increases the degree of solar heat gain and makes home feel warmer without the need to turn up heating.
Filling the double glazed unit with argon gas or using air filling with a new “warm edge spacer bar” stops further heat escaping from homes.
You’re probably wondering how a microscopic coating on a pane of glass can make such a big difference to its performance This is how it works.
The glass in your windows absorbs heat then radiates it again on the colder, outside, surface. Pilkington K Glass™ has what is called a low emissivity coating on the surface that faces into the air gap of the double glazing unit.
Low emissivity means the coating is a poor radiator. The heat absorbed by the coated glass is inhibited from radiating across the air gap and then from the outer pane to the cold outside world. Instead the heat is reflected back into the room by the coating.
It works in a similar way to a sheet of reflecting foil placed behind a central heating radiator which, as you know, bounces the heat back into the room. Heat losses through different materials can be compared by the their “U values”. The higher the U value, the greater the heat loss through the material.
The U value of a single pane window is 5.6. Double glazing with ordinary glass has a U value of 2.8. Double glazing with Pilkington K Glass TM has a U value of only 1.9, considerably better than conventional double glazing, and as good as triple glazing.