ETICS with Mineral Wool: more than energy efficiency

The installation of the appropriate thermal insulation on facades, floors and roofs allows you to save much of the energy demand, the building of a new thermal envelope that provides protection in thermal and acoustic insulation, and protection against moisture and fireWhen Mineral wool panels are incorporated. The renovation of a building envelope is one of the major interventions that can be done to improve the Park's existing buildings.

Isolate by the outside, both new and in rehabilitation work, is more efficient than isolating the Interior. The main advantage of these systems is that all the envelope of the building is isolated, eliminating thermal bridges, protecting the structure of the closing of the variation of temperature outside and inside, thereby generating a lower energy demand and consequently a greater economic and environmental savingsall this without reducing the surface area of the building or housing to speak externally. In general, isolation from outside systems can offer a response appropriate, both the current and future requirements of the CTE

The ETICS system, also known in Spain as a SATE, is a solution of external thermal insulation of facades that was born in the heart of Europe in lathe to the year 1950, as a resource of energy rehabilitation, mainly as a thermal protection of the buildings in winter, and now used around the world also as protection against the heat in warm areas.

They are multi-layer systems consisting of an insulating element, set the support by means of an adhesive mortar and a mechanical fixation of reinforcement, which subsequently applies a mortar of finishing generally reinforced with glass fibre mesh, and finally a decorative coating that may be of very different naturesboth serving as environmental aesthetic criteria.

In general, an ETICS is less expensive and more efficient exterior insulation system, because in addition to removing the linear thermal bridges (fronts of slabs, pillars, beams, formation of gaps of window), it protects the wall of climate changetake advantage of the thermal inertia of the existing wall, optimize surround moisture protection, avoids the effect cold wall with the discomfort associated with the same, it avoids the risk of surface condensation with consequential diseases by humidity, extending the life of the building. They are both suitable systems for new building, as rehabilitation in any type of construction.

The reduction of the thermal bridges in an enclosure allows to obtain the same coefficient of overall thermal transmission of the envelope to other constructive solutions using a reduced thickness of enclosure, and therefore a more inhabitable useful surface. The reduction of the thickness of the envelope reduces the weight of the walls, and therefore the permanent loads on the structure of the building.

The installation of an ETICS allows the accumulation of heat in the wall of enclosure, and therefore all the thermal inertia of the wall take advantage of existing support (specific heat capacity of building materials). As an example, a half foot of perforated brick wall weighs about 180 kg per square metre, which is equivalent to having a bath of about 36 litres of water per square meters of facade. The increase of the internal thermal inertia allows an improvement of the comfort in winter, as all the mass of the outer enclosure can store heat. In summer, the walls act as regulators of temperature by absorbing heat during the warmest hours of the day for broadcast during the night, which is also an improvement on thermal comfort at this station.

When we install a system of heat insulation for Exterior (ETICS) with Mineral Wool as insulating element, we provide a lot of additional advantages due to the nature of natural origin of the own Mineral Wool, as higher levels of sound insulation, protection against fire and humidity, providing in addition to the system of a high durability and low maintenance costs.

-Maximum thermal protection and minimum energy costs

Excellent thermal properties of wool ore of Knauf Insulation, especially developed for ETICS panels decrease the thermal transmittance U of the facades, providing significant energy savings during the winter (heating) and summer (cooling) cycles, because that guarantees the minimum transfer of heat between the inside and outside of the building. The energy needs of the houses are significantly reduced and, therefore, the costs of maintenance. The Mineral Wool is an insulating material that improves the comfort in homes and respects the environment.

-Sustainability

ETICS installation in a house / building, increases energy savings (kWh/m². a) and consequently the environmental savings in emissions of CO₂ (KgCO₂/m². to) relating to the generation of energy. As example, a housing rehabilitated using ETICS with Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool, according to the criteria of technical building code (CTE) for each climate zone (A, B, C, D and E with the 1 DB-I), can save between 9.20 and 32,66 tonnes of CO₂ during its useful life.

Knauf Insulation used in the development of Mineral Wool solutions for ETICS, recycled raw materials that are 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life.

-Excellent noise protection

The mineral wool are the only thermal insulator that provides a gain of sound insulation of the building blocks that is incorporated, enabling significant reductions in noise levels, thanks to the elastic nature of interwoven fibre that dissipates the energy of sound waves that penetrate them. The mineral wool prevent transmission of aerial noise and impact and its reverberations, providing authentic acoustic comfort in the building.

The choice of the isolation of the facade of a building we must, therefore, do not only from the energy point of view, but also from the point of view of the acoustic comfort. Panels for ETICS of Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool is an excellent thermal insulator, which also increases the level of protection against noise in the enclosures that joins.

In Annex A of the document basic 'DB-HR protection against noise' of the CTE, improved ΔR is defined as the increase in the overall rate of noise reduction in an constructive element by addition of a treatment or coating to the constructive element base. He is measured by the difference between the index of noise reduction, R, a constructive element of reference with the lining of improvement and the own of the constructive element of reference.

As an example, a recent trial where the objective of the measurement was to obtain the index of sound reduction sound according to Norm UNE-EN ISO 140-3: 1995 of a vertical enclosure formed by blade of ceramic piece coated on one side with plaster and the other with insulation ETICS-based mortar coating systemWool Mineral Panel ETICS PTP-S-035 of 60 millimeters and exterior finish.

Investment in thermal insulation with Mineral Wool is amortizable through energy savings, quantified and reflected on the invoice of the energy we consume, but getting in addition a free benefit in what refers to improvement of acoustic comfort.

-Fire safety

The main insurance companies adjust premiums taking into account the behavior to the fire of the materials used in the construction, taking the best consideration those materials, which in case of fire, does not propagate fire and do not cause dense smoke, or even appearance of flames, particles and release of gases that could lead to further explosions.

Each insulator, the reaction to fire is different, not only as regards combustibility, but also on emission of smoke and formation of flammable drops. The Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool is incombustible by which, in contact with fire, does not generate neither gas nor asphyxiating or toxic fumes. Furthermore, due to its high insulating power, it forms a barrier that protects the constructive elements, increasing the resistance to fire of the same and contributing to the passive safety of the building. The Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool for ETICS is certified with Euroclase A1 and has a more than 1,000 ° C melting point, making it an ideal element in protection against the fire with this kind of constructive systems.

-Highest level of breathability

The presence of damp in walls, prevents live comfortably. When the envelope of a building are used insulation in low permeability, water vapor may condense between the wall and the isolation or inside of it, which is why the use of these can cause the deterioration of the enclosure. Also, the higrométricas conditions of a building (those determined by the temperature, humidity, speed of the air and thermal radiation) whose moisture remains in the interior of the enclosure, provide unhealthy environments occupants.

The maximum breathability of an enclosure protected with ETICS can guarantee with Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool. Its permeable structure allows the transition of water vapor through the outer wall from the inside. The risk of condensation of water vapor, and the consequent accumulation of humidity in the wall is minimal, avoiding any development of fungi or bacteria. By its excellent performance hidrotérmicas, the Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool in an ETICS works at the same time as insulation and as an element of balance of the existing public and private steam. To ensure the breathability of the entire system it is necessary that the adhesive mortar and the different layers of the decorative coating of the ETICS also have the same behavior.

-Durability of materials and low maintenance costs

To treat material of natural origin, they retain their insulating capacity during their lifetime, and are totally resistant to the most extreme worked and ageing. The Mineral Wool is dimensionally, stable by not causing cracks in the facade. It is permeable to water vapor, so it is not conducive to the development of fungi on the outer surface. All this contributes to a lower cost of maintenance of the final coating.

-Extensive options of coatings

The temperature (250 ° C) service of the Mineral Wool for ETICS allows its application with the full chromatic range of exterior finishes, including colors with brightness index committed, in works located in areas subject to high thermal loads by solar radiationboth with mineral or synthetic coatings, ceramic nature.

-Compliance with existing regulations

The excellent performance mechanical (high resistance to perpendicular to the surface traction) and resistance to compression of the Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool for ETICS, and excellent dimensional stability makes it compatible with all types of existing systems of fixing to the wall, as defined the UNE EN 13500.

Knauf Insulation for ETICS insulation solutions are tested and certified according to all the requirements of the European technical guide ETAG 004 and the Spanish standard UNE EN 13500 referred to required specifications for the Mineral wool insulation products used in ETICS. For this reason, major European manufacturers of floor coverings for façades have approved the Knauf Insulation Mineral Wool as insulation system in their ETICS, and it can be used in any of their certifications.

Implementation of an ETICS with Mineral Wool

• Phase 1 - after the startup profile, the application of isolation to the wall for support, apply the adhesive mortar in the entire perimeter of the Mineral Wool panel, more three interior pelladas, occupying 50% of the surface.
• Phase 2 - Mineral wool panels should be placed upward (from bottom up), with vertical discontinuous joints (placement at rompejuntas).
• Phase 3 - the setting of the Mineral wool panels is complemented by anchors of mechanical fixation of minimum length equal to the thickness of the insulating + 30 mm (or according to specification of the manufacturer of the anchorage).
• Phase 4 - Once finished the installation of the Mineral Wool is bands of armor reinforcement placement in corners, perimeter of critical points of the facades and Windows
• Phase 5 - Finally we proceed with the application of the coating base, reinforced armor, imprinting and the final coating.