- Welcome
- What is Timber Frame?
- Facts and Figures
- Modern Methods of Construction
- Sustainable Buildings
- The Impact of Climate Change
- Timber frame and fire safety
- Sound Insulation in New Homes
- Addressing the Construction Skills Crisis
- Health and Safety in Construction
- Public Attitudes to Timber Frame
- Current Campaigns
- Press Releases
- Contacts
- ePolitix Consultations
- Press Releases
The Impact of Climate Change
The consensus on climate change in the UK seems to suggest thatwe are in for more extreme variations of what weather we alreadyhave ? hot days will be hotter and more humid, and winters will seegreater precipitation.
The implications for our future housing stocktherefore seem to suggest that we will need homes:
- designed to the highest possible thermalefficiency (to keep warm in winter and overcome the severeproblems associated with fuel poverty),
- with excellent ventilation (especiallynight-time ventilation to prevent overheating in summer)
- and built in areas that are well protected from therisk of flooding.
Timber frame homes are proven to perform well in evensome of the most extreme climates ? including hot andhumid countries such as Malaysia, and the freezing conditions ofScandinavia in winter.
Keeping our homes comfortable in summerTraditionally, making buildings more energy efficient has beenabout using less energy to heat homes by insulating them and makingthem more airtight. However, there is increasing awareness of therisk of such well insulated homes overheating in summer, especiallyas our climate starts to get hotter. Rather than specify air conditioning in all new homes (which ofcourse consumes vast amounts of energy and makes global warmingworse), the emphasis is now on better designsolutions to enable homes to get an appropriate balancebetween heat losses and heat gains. Low energy (and therefore, lowcarbon) strategies are being developed that will ensure summercomfort without affecting winter performance. There are interesting ideas about thermal mass and the potentialuse of heavyweight building materials to store heat in homes.Unfortunately, the issue is complicated. For example, in currentclimate conditions, heavyweight homes consume 10% more energy thanlightweight ones for winter heating and may therefore becontributing to the climate change problem more than they arehelping it. |
Latest Press Releases
- UKTFA Publishes First New Guidance Document On Differential Movement In Timber Frame Buildings
- TIMBER FRAME CONSTRUCTION GREW AGAIN IN 2007 – AND PROSPECTS HOLD UP IN DIFFICULT MARKET
- NEW TIMBER FRAME GUIDE TO SCOTTISH ENERGY REGULATIONS
- UKTFA STRENGTHENS ITS PRESENCE AT ECOBUILD
- NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE OF PRACTICE FOR TIMBER FRAME
- CSCS gives thumbs up to timber frame training scheme
- FLATTER, QUIETER FLOORS – THANKS TO UK’S FIRST CODE OF PRACTICE ON ENGINEERED WOOD PRODUCTS
- INDUSTRY BODIES JOIN FORCES ON SPECIAL PROJECTS TO GROW UK MARKET FOR TIMBER FRAME
- TIMBER FRAME INDUSTRY TO BENEFIT FROM FIRE SAFETY EXPERTISE
- SMALLER TIMBER FRAME COMPANIES GET STRONGER VOICE ON UKTFA BOARD
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