What Are U-Values

To put it simply, U-Values measures the rate of heat loss through the roof, external walls and ground floor of a building.

U-values measures how well the buildings components (walls, floor and roof) keep heat in (during cold weather) and keep heat out (during warm weather).

In both cold and warm climates good u-values are the most important measures to keep the inside of a garden building at a comfortable temperature.

Good u-values are of paramount importance if you want a truly habitable garden room, office, studio, lodge or building that you can use all year round.

The higher the u-values the more heat flows through so a good U-value is actually a low one. Therefore in all aspects of garden building design one should strive for the lowest U-Values possible because the lower the U-value - the less heat that is needlessly escaping.

The calculation of U-values is measured as the amount of heat lost through one square meter of the material for every degree difference in temperature either side of the material. It is indicated in units of Watts per Meter Squared per Degree Kelvin or W/m2K.

Under the latest revisions to the new Part L (England & Wales) Building Regulations, a minimum standard U-value is required for the thermal efficiency of a newly constructed building.

To comply with the new regulations building components must have U-values at least that of the following:

Walls

Building Regulations Walls Minimum = 0.35 W\m2k

Floor

Building Regulations Floor Minimum = 0.25 W\m2k

Roof

Building Regulations Roof Minimum = 0.20 W\m2k

All Oeco garden rooms, offices, studios, lodges and buildings are designed and manufactured to exceed the U-values required under Part L of the UK Building Regulations.

If you have any specific questions or queries regarding U-values, please do not hesitate to Contact Us