The Code for Sustainable Homes and tighter Building Regulations, both of which demand improved insulation and airtightness, will impact the trussed rafter industry, Paul Jenkins, Taylor Wimpey’s UK housing portfolio director, told the Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) AGM.

The next round of revisions to the Building Regulations in 2013 would be “even more onerous” than those made last year.

“Build tight, build right is correct but it needs to be done in conjunction with ventilation,” he said, adding that ventilation systems, which were generally housed in roof spaces, enabled roof truss fabricators to help housebuilders meet sustainability demands.

He pointed to metal-web beams as a flexible solution. “With I-joists, the runs need to be considered right at the beginning of the design process so there will be increasing use of metal webs which are less onerous on the design,” he said. “You have to think about it because if a housebuilder hasn’t thought of it they will come back to you.”

He added that Taylor Wimpey intends to trial metal webs and some roof systems.

Renewable technologies such as photovoltaics and solar thermal could also affect the demands placed on roof trusses.

The next “ticking time bomb” was the growing elderly population and the impact this would have on housing, such as the requirement for lifetime homes that could be adapted.

“It’s an area that’s going to affect trussed rafters less but it will have an impact,” said Mr Jenkins.

Asked by Timber Trade Federation chief executive John White why housebuilders did not use more wood when it would help them meet sustainability criteria, Mr Jenkins said it was a matter of tradition – but the timber industry could change that.

“The industry knows how to deliver brick and block, but there’s a perception that there will be more Timber Frame Solutions to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes. It’s about communication. You need to get out there and bang the drum,” he said.

Outgoing chairman Philip Bell reiterated Mr Jenkins’s view that trussed rafters have a role to play in meeting sustainability demands and he urged TRA members to take up the challenge.

“We’re in an industry that innovates to help customers with sustainable products,” he said. “Our products need to become the first choice for roof and floor producers.”