Regulation Specific

Unilin Insulation have a wide variety of insulation that can achieve Future Homes Standard Compliance (FHS). Depending on your application, whether it is for Roofs, Floors, Walls or Attic, our technical team can help to advise you on what insulation solution suits your project plan.

The ECO360 and Safe-R SR019 product ranges deliver improved thermal performance, supporting a fabric-first approach and helping to meet the Future Homes Standard (FHS) target U-values outlined for notional dwellings. Unilin Insulation’s solutions also help minimise overall insulation thickness while maintaining thermal performance.

A range of Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs) are issued to provide clear direction on regulatory requirements and how to demonstrate compliance. The regulations are structured into 12 parts, from Part A to Part M. TGD Part L specifically outlines the minimum fabric performance standards required to achieve NZEB targets.

NZEB aims to create buildings that use as little energy as possible while making the most of clean, renewable energy sources—resulting in lower running costs, reduced environmental impact, and better overall building performance.

Compliance with building regulations (including NZEB targets) is typically verified through a combination of design-stage assessments, documentation, and on-site inspections.

To achieve the Passive House standard, the focus should be on high-performance insulation installed as a continuous layer to eliminate gaps and minimise thermal bridging. The objective is to attain low U-values while maintaining effective insulation performance and maximising usable internal space. Passive House standards can be achieved using materials such as PIR and phenolic insulation.

Unilin offers a wide range of products and system solutions to support Passive House construction, including options such as ECO360 and XtroLiner.

Achieving an A2 BER rating in a residential building relies heavily on delivering a building fabric, with particular emphasis on low U-values, airtightness and minimised thermal bridging. Rigid PIR insulation boards are commonly adopted due to their low thermal conductivity, enabling designers to meet energy targets without excessive wall, roof, or floor build-ups. Products from Unilin Insulation are widely recognised within the industry for this purpose, offering a range of solutions that support efficient thermal performance across all building elements. When combined with careful detailing, glazing and appropriate building services, such insulation systems provide a practical and effective route to consistently achieving A2 energy standards.

Achieving strong energy performance in non-residential buildings relies on delivering a well-insulated, carefully detailed building envelope. Low U-values across walls, roofs, and floors are essential for meeting Part L (NZEB) compliance requirements. High-performance rigid insulation, such as PIR, is frequently specified to meet these demands, particularly where design constraints require high thermal efficiency within limited build-ups.

Solutions from manufacturers like Unilin Insulation are widely used across the sector, supporting consistent fabric performance in a variety of commercial and industrial applications. However, unlike residential projects, the overall energy performance of non-residential buildings is more heavily influenced by factors such as HVAC systems, glazing ratios, and operational usage. As a result, insulation must be considered as part of a wider, integrated design strategy.

BREEAM New Construction Version 7 is a powerful, science-driven standard to design and deliver high-performing, resilient buildings.

By integrating whole-life carbon, resilience, and resource efficiency, BREEAM New Construction V7 helps create sustainable assets that respond to investor expectations and evolving market demands, as well as meet the requirements of regulation.

BREEAM New Construction V7 aligns with the latest industry objectives on decarbonisation of the built environment, as well as streamlining reporting for both internal and external reporting frameworks.

Key changes include:

• Expanded whole life-cycle carbon requirements, including benchmarking and reporting for both predicted operational and embodied carbon
• Incorporation of optional EU taxonomy criteria and alignment with the EU Zero Energy Buildings definition
• Updated climate-resilience criteria and biodiversity requirements, as well as new health and well-being standards

To achieve Net Zero by 2050 as a homeowner, a fabric-first approach can be adopted. For existing dwellings this may involve retrofitting your home by insulating key heat loss elements of the building fabric and where thermal bridging occurs. Upgrading insulation in the attic, walls, and floors helps to minimize heat loss and improve overall energy efficiency.

Part L of the Irish Building Regulations sets maximum U‑value targets rather than fixed insulation thicknesses, meaning compliance is achieved by selecting suitable materials and build‑ups that meet these performance limits. For new dwellings under the current NZEB standard, typical target U‑values are 0.18 W/m²K for external walls, 0.13 W/m²K for floors, and 0.11–0.13 W/m²K for roofs. In practice, this usually equates to around 100–110 mm of Unilin Insulation PIR insulation in walls, 120–150 mm in floors, and 120–150 mm in roofs, although exact thicknesses depend on the full construction and insulation type. These values act as minimum fabric standards and meeting them alone does not guarantee compliance. Part L also requires overall energy performance targets (such as EPC, CPC and renewable energy contribution) to be satisfied through a combination of insulation, airtightness and building services.

To reduce overall wall thickness while still achieving Part L compliance, the key is to use low‑lambda insulation systems that deliver the required U‑value with less material. Unilin’s PIR‑based cavity wall solutions are specifically designed for this, offering thermal performance, which means thinner cavities can achieve the same 0.18 W/m²K target.

For example, Unilin Thin‑R partial fill cavity boards (λ ≈ 0.022 W/mK) can typically achieve Part L wall targets using 100 mm PIR insulation plus a 50 mm residual cavity, giving a total cavity width of 150 mm while maintaining protection against wind‑driven rain.

For even tighter wall build‑ups, Unilin CavityTherm full‑fill systems provide one of the most efficient options. With a lower thermal conductivity (~0.021 W/mK), they can achieve U‑values of 0.16–0.18 W/m²K within cavity widths of around 110–125 mm and even reach passive‑level performance (≈0.13 W/m²K) in cavities under 150 mm. Because these systems fill the cavity and include engineered joints and moisture‑control layers, they eliminate the need for large residual air gaps while maintaining durability.

In summary, to minimise wall thickness under Part L, designers should prioritise insulation choice, optimise block selection and ensure good detailing to reduce thermal bridging. This approach allows you to meet or exceed the required U‑values while aiming to keep the total wall build‑up significantly slimmer than traditional constructions.

Insulation is a key enabler of net‑zero buildings because it reduces energy demand at the source, allowing renewable technologies to cover a much smaller remaining load. By limiting heat transfer through the building envelope, it lowers the need for heating and cooling and helps cut operational carbon emissions. This underpins the “fabric‑first” approach, where improving the thermal performance of walls, roofs, and floors is prioritised to maximise efficiency before relying on mechanical or renewable systems.

Unilin Insulation supports this approach by offering a full suite of high‑performance solutions across all fabric elements, including walls, roofs and floors. Systems such as Thin‑R partial fill and CavityTherm full‑fill cavity wall insulation aim to achieve low U‑values within compact wall constructions, while complementary roof and floor insulation products ensure a continuous, thermally efficient envelope. By combining these systems, designers can minimise heat loss, reduce thermal bridging and optimise overall fabric performance to deliver cost‑effective, buildable pathways to net‑zero compliance.

The Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard applies to all new buildings occupied after the 31st of December 2020. For public bodies, the standard applies to all new buildings owned and occupied by the 31st of December 2018.

The definition for nearly zero energy building in the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD) is “a very high energy performance, as determined in accordance with the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required, should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby”.

In line with the EPBD directive, Ireland carries out a cost-optimal analysis to define NZEB requirements. Part L of the Building Regulations defines the requirements in legislation.

Many options within Unilin Insulation’s Range can reach NZEB Regulations such as Our ECO360, CavityTherm, XtroLiner and Thin-R ranges. Unilin offers a comprehensive range of solutions that can support the achievement of NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) compliance across all types of construction. With industry-leading thermal performance and innovative product design, every product in the Unilin portfolio can play a role in meeting current regulatory requirements when correctly specified and installed. Backed by extensive technical expertise, Unilin supports your project at every step, from early design through to final specification, helping architects, designers, and contractors deliver compliant, efficient, and practical building solutions with confidence.

You aim to achieve key project objectives, such as reaching NZEB standards. Unilin Insulation supports this by delivering high-performance insulation solutions alongside expert technical guidance, helping you meet your targets effectively. Across its full range, Unilin products deliver excellent thermal efficiency, helping to achieve demanding U-values through a practical, fabric-first approach that enhances overall building performance. Suitable for a wide variety of applications in both new build and retrofit, these solutions are designed to be buildable, reliable and compliant with current regulations. Backed by a dedicated technical team, Unilin provides comprehensive support from early-stage design and specification through to on-site application, ensuring that every project can confidently meet NZEB requirements while delivering long-term energy efficiency and comfort.