Thermal Bridging Standards Improvement Project - Webinar

As changes to the NCC begin to address thermal bridging, and expectations around building thermal performance become more stringent, methods to accurately model thermal bridges in building performance simulations (BPS) need to be established.  While the material properties in envelope assemblies can be modified to model the impacts of ‘repeating’ thermal bridges, e.g. by following NZS 4214, many types of thermal bridge cannot currently be modelled in this way.  ‘Linear’ and ‘point’ thermal bridges, such as junctions between walls and roofs, balconies, slab edges, and fenestration subframes, can cause as much as 14 % of building energy consumption, but cannot be modelled using current standard BPS methods. The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) at the University of Wollongong has been working with the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) to investigate the impacts of these types of thermal bridges on Australian buildings, and to develop methods by which…