Weathertightness And Insulation: It’s More Than Just Hot Air
At Modscape, we always consider several elements when it comes to sustainability. In some cases, these are examined during the design phase – think passive heating and cooling, as well as the inclusion of environmentally friendly systems. On the flipside, other elements are considered during the construction phase, elements such as the use of eco-friendly materials, minimisation of waste and, of course, airtightness come into play.
When it comes to building homes, there are three main reasons why airtightness is so important: it creates less demand on auxiliary heating and cooling, lowering a home’s C02 consumption – thus its energy bills; it helps to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature, and it maintains a healthy level of humidity.
Most Aussie homes are leaky by international standards, with typical air exchange rates sitting at 12-15 per hour. This means you’ll need more heating in winter, and more cooling in summer. By comparison, a passive house – referred to and certified as a PassivHaus in Australia – experiences just 0.6 air exchanges per hour, meaning the air stays fresh and healthy without dramatic changes to internal climate.
With this in mind, the Modscape design team we make use of employ high-performance Pro Clima SOLITEX EXTASANA® weather-resistant wall underlays, which envelop each modules’ structure to create an airtight external wall membrane.
How does it work?
Pro Clima SOLITEX EXTASANA® is wrapped between the stud wall and the exterior cladding, and is secured with a special adhesive plaster that seals the barrier in areas around windows, electrical openings and pipes. This tape remains in place even in the case of rain and moisture, ensuring and ensures virtually no air enters or exits, and that the membrane remains in place.
Along with the appropriate tape, Pro Clima weather-resistant banners are designed to bring a home’s air exchanges down to just five-seven per hour – much lower than the national average of 12-15.
With every Modscape home, we combine airtightness with other sustainability practices such as passive design, double-glazed windows and a high thermal performance. This means every one of our modules is comfortable all year round, and requires the bare minimum when it comes to axillary heating and cooling. In other words, you can rely on mother nature to keep your living space comfortable, lowering C02 consumption in the process.
Better environments. Better savings.
Typically, heating and cooling accounts for the majority of a home’s C02 consumption, as well as the majority of electricity and/or gas bills. With that in mind, minimising the amount of air moving in and out lowers your reliance on artificial heating and cooling.
Experts recommend the indoor temperature of homes sit at between 18-22°C. However, in summer, that temperature can be increased to 23-24°C. In a leaky home, the thermal insulation is unable to keep out the exterior summer heat, and vice versa in winter. This puts a huge reliance on auxiliary axillary heating or cooling, which is forced to continually refresh the temperature as air seeps in and out of the building envelope.
By minimising airflow with Pro Clima SOLITEX EXTASANA®, a room set at 22° can easily remain at that temperature, keeping those inside comfortable for longer.
Better environments and better savings? Sounds like a win-win to us.
Read more about Modscape’s approach to sustainable construction here. To enquire about building your project using the most sustainable methods, contact us today.
