Minimising heat losses The rate of heat flow from a pipe is largely governed by the differential to the ambient temperature, and heat losses can be considerable. The insulation of building equipment and industrial installations is one of the single most effective measures for improving energy efficiency and prolonging the lifespan of equipment. A small investment will have big impacts upon energy costs and reducing CO2 emissions. Unnecessary heat loss has a highly negative impact in today’s environment and is something that we can all helptoreducebyinsulatingbuildingservicesequipment. The thickness requirements to meet environmental thickness tables such as BS 5422 and Part L and the design structure of many UK and Irish buildings, means it is often not physically possible to install the specified insulation thickness. For existing pipework installations, having limited space between pipework to install insulation is very often the reason no insulation is installed. Typical examples of this are in locations such as service shafts, under floors, suspended and enclosed ceiling structures and visible pipework. The easiest and quickest method to insulate existing pipework is to use nitrile rubber insulation material. This highly flexible, non-fibrous insulation material makes safe application easy, especially in areas of limited working space. Since water services are often located outside or in unheated areas where ambient temperatures drop below 0˚C, water freezes and expands, causing pipes to burst. For this reason the water supply regulations specify pipe insulation to reduce the risk of pipe freezing. Frost protection thickness tables can be found in the download section of www.armacell.co.uk Elastomeric insulation‘s biggest asset is its excellent thermal efficiency. For example, with AF/ArmaFlex Class O you can save up to 87% energy in typical domestic applications when compared to un-insulated pipes. On a typical central heating system, a 100m run of 15mm pipework insulated with 19mm thick Armaflex tube will save approximately £60 per annum*. Savings in commercial applications will be vastly greater when considering the longer pipe runs involved. *Based on a hot water temperature of 60°C and average ambient temperature of 18°C. Energy cost £0.048/kWh x 1,250 kWh per annum. HEAT LOSS & ENERGY SAVING PIPE FREEZING 15