Comfort zone

Published on 13/12/2012 00:00

For years, if not decades, the standard of insulation in UK construction has been abysmal.

Back in the 1980s there was a trial build of houses with huge amounts of insulation in the floors, walls and roofs, to such an extent that they required no heating, apart from the glow from incandescent lights bulbs and the body heat of the ­residents.

They required an air recycling system but no heating ­system. They did require a greater ground footprint to allow for the increase in wall thickness, which was about 150mm in each direction.

Since then the building lobby has refused any great increases in the building standards relating to insulation in buildings both domestic and commercial as they feared it might damage their profits.

It’s another case of short
termism where greed is allowed to damage our legacy to our 
children.

Needless to say, politicians have run scared of standing up for future generations on this topic for much the same self-centred reasons.

The SNP is always holding up Scandinavian expertise as an example of how we should do things. In this case it would be right but the party obviously does not see it as a vote winner so ignores it.

Now we have the SNP diluting its plans to increase the insulation of new buildings. Cowards and traitors to our future.

This has nothing to do with global warming but it does have to do with more efficient buildings and a better and more ­viable living and working environment.

Once a house is up it is not cost effective to do retrospective insulation work, so new homes must be made as effective as 
possible.

If more care and a longer term view were taken we would not now find our schools and homes being demolished when only 30 to- 40 years old.

Ian Ross

Eden Lane

Edinburgh