Technical building equipment is probably taken for granted by those who simply enjoy its effects in everyday life. In this second article in the ABCs of insulation series, we focus on the importance of insulating building technology.
Technical building equipment - the silent heroes of everyday life
Building technology encompasses all the equipment used to create healthy living or working conditions in the building. It includes heating, cold and hot water pipes, waste and rainwater drains, ventilation ducts and cooling and heating ventilation equipment with piping.
But how many people really think about how important technical building equipment is to the comfort of the workplace and home?
From a building services perspective, insulation often comes to the forefront of our minds when we encounter a problem: pipes are condensing, water is dripping onto the floor making it dangerously slippery, the water pipe is freezing or cold water is not coming out of the tap in the summer heat. At such moments, you'll probably miss the insulator and wish he could rush there right away - if not on his white horse, then at least in a sweater with well-insulated armpits.
Why is it necessary to insulate building technology?
The effect that technical insulation has on the reliability of mechanical equipment cannot usually be seen, but its importance cannot be overemphasized. Insulation not only improves the energy efficiency of the equipment and keeps the equipment running, but also prevents condensation, ensures protection against corrosion and reduces noise emissions.
Building services equipment is insulated in order to function properly and to reduce energy consumption. For example, insulation aims to protect the operation of pipelines, which we benefit from in everyday life when we have running water in the tap that stays either cold or hot. Insulation also slows down the course of a fire should it occur.
One of the purposes of insulation is to isolate sound - you probably don't want to hear all sorts of noises when your neighbor goes to the toilet. But since an entire article could be written about soundproofing, we'll do that and come back to the topic later in the article series.
How do you insulate building technology?
As you might have guessed, there are as many forms of technical insulation as there are types of building equipment and components. When insulating, you take into account not only the device itself, but also the demands of the environment.
Different types of technical insulation in buildings include:
- Thermal insulation, which prevents the transfer of heat from the insulation object to the surroundings, avoiding unnecessary heat loss.
- Cold insulation, which prevents the transfer of heat from the surroundings to the insulation object, thereby reducing energy costs caused by cold losses.
- Condensation insulation is a cooling insulation that prevents moisture from the environment from condensing on the surface of the object to be insulated. Condensed moisture can cause corrosion on the object to be insulated or other damage when the condensation runs or drips onto the floor.
- Protective insulation, the purpose of which is to protect people from burns and accidents. The highest permitted surface temperature under normal operating conditions is 60°C.
- Frost insulation, the purpose of which is to prevent the contents of the object to be insulated from freezing.
- Fire insulation, which prevents or limits damage caused by fire.
The requirements for technical insulation in buildings are set by the Norwegian Building Authority and are defined in Tek17.
READ ALSO: Insulation of pipes and ducts according to Tek17
The annual heat loss from uninsulated distribution pipes and pipe clamps in a basement can be up to a quarter of the annual heat energy consumption. Photo: Armacell.
What materials are used for insulation in buildings?
When it comes to insulation, the material is everything - you don't wear wool socks in the summer heat or tennis socks in the cold.
Mineral wool (rock wool or glass wool) boards, mats and pipe bowls are the most common materials used in building insulation. Both of these materials are available with or without aluminum foil. The most common types of sheathing are sheets of PVC, plastic, aluminium or galvanized steel.
The advantages of mineral wool are its good fire resistance and that it is quick and easy to install. Cellular rubber and polystyrene are used in cooling and condensation insulation.
Let's remember the insulation
Perhaps one day an employee arriving at the office in the morning will lean into his colleague's side and show him an insulated air conditioning duct and say how great it is that the air conditioning ducts didn't leak any condensation that summer - thanks to good insulation.
Until then, we'll try to keep the insulation flag flying high in other ways and remind people of the significant benefits of insulation one insulation solution at a time.
Stay tuned - we'll continue our journey into the wondrous world of insulation in the next few articles!
This article was originally published by our Finnish sister company, Kespet Oy, and has been translated into Norwegian. Original title: Back to basics: Technical building equipment also needs care and insulation
Read part 1 of the article series here: The ABCs of insulation - Do you remember the basics of technical insulation?
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