Insulating miles of pipework in commercial and industrial buildings could provide a quick boost to the UK’s net zero goals and cut running costs, according to two key engineering bodies.
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and the Thermal Insulation Contractors’ Association (TICA) have described poorly insulated pipework as “the lowest of low-hanging fruit” when it comes to energy-saving measures in building retrofits.
The two organisations also back the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) proposal for £64bn of government investment over the next decade in a retrofit programme covering homes, offices, and public buildings.
Research from UKGBC suggests this level of funding could create around 140,000 skilled jobs, eliminate the need for £60bn in electricity grid upgrades, and save the NHS £22bn by improving health through better building environments.
“The new government has ambitious plans to improve the UK’s built environment, but there are major gaps in the strategy,” said David Frise, CEO of BESA. “A focused effort to insulate the miles of uninsulated or poorly insulated pipework in commercial and industrial buildings would deliver significant and fast returns on investment.”
A study by the European Industrial Insulation Foundation (EiiF) revealed the UK could save the equivalent of the energy used by 863,000 homes or 1.7 million cars just by insulating existing pipework in industrial settings. This would also lead to an annual carbon saving of nearly 3.5 million tonnes.
TICA highlighted the introduction of a new technical standard for insulation energy efficiency, BS EN 17956:2024, which could make a considerable impact. The standard, launched in June, offers a consistent framework for insulating pipework systems, following the A-G energy rating system. EiiF has already aligned its TIPCHECK system with the new standard, helping thousands of European clients cut their carbon emissions and energy costs.
“It’s a real challenge to get the government and industry to recognise the massive gap in our net zero strategy caused by uninsulated or poorly insulated pipework,” said TICA’s technical director, Chris Ridge.
“Anything that simplifies the specification of energy-saving thermal insulation is a positive step. The UK thermal insulation market will need time to adapt, but we need to start talking to policymakers now.”
TICA is preparing the industry to play a pivotal role in decarbonisation, with its national training centre in Darlington equipping apprentices with skills in thermal imaging and pipe insulation to reduce energy losses.
BESA echoed the sentiment, stating its intention to work closely with TICA to ensure pipework insulation becomes central to a national building retrofit initiative, reducing operational costs and driving towards net zero.
Photo caption: TICA is integrating energy-saving techniques and thermal imaging basics into its apprenticeship programme.