There’s no denying that wood has come back into its own as a construction material, not just an alternative, but increasingly as the first choice for specifiers. They recognise its aesthetic and structural properties and its sustainability and energy-saving credentials. Yet there’s a danger of this resurgence giving the industry a false sense of security.
Concern about the environment is probably the single most important driver for the changes taking place within the Building Regulations and other government initiatives. Change brings threats and opportunities – and other materials are more acutely aware of the threat of not proving their environmental credentials. Those materials with most to lose are spending money on research and clever marketing, to turn these threats into an opportunity.
Timber companies cannot afford to lapse into complacency and start slipping behind again.
One example where timber is visibly losing ground is the British Fenestration Rating Council‘s Window Energy Rating Scheme, which is not only called up in Part L1B of the Building Regulations, but is supported by the Energy Saving Trust. The scheme assesses the complete window for thermal performance and the result falls into one of the BFRC bands A-G of the window energy label – similar to the label used on fridges, washing machines and light bulbs.
At the time of writing, of 63 energy-rated windows listed on the BFRC website (www.bfrc.org), only 6% are timber, 9% aluminium and 84% PVCu.
BM TRADA Certification and BBA are the only two bodies approved to carry out energy rating assessments on behalf of BFRC, so we can see from the inside what is going on. PVCu manufacturers are queuing up – and most are targeting a C rating and above, although D and E will be sufficient under Part L1B.
This scheme was trumpeted as a gift to the timber industry, because timber windows should score very well. And many will score well, but only when they are submitted for certification.
