Sources

It was several years ago at Interbuild I bumped into a representative who was complaining about Installer reluctance to adopt best practice on the subject of pipe insulation. I complained about lack of information and was promised much. None arrived. Now good information has arrived from TIMSA, the industry trade association.

Where possible merchants will offload what they prefer to ofload, on any subject. You must get into the habit of specifying what you want, not what they want. Get in control.

The Domestic Heating Compliance Guide includes Table 3 which neatly summarises the situation at the time of writing. That table is offered as a printable PDF. We have retyped that page verbatim rather than publish a poor scanned copy. Handy to print and carry around when needed.

In addition to the Table 3, the whole Domestic Heating Compliance Guide is available separately. That PDF document is useful.

Referred to in the guide are three  documents:

BS5422

The BS5422:2001 referred to (Method for specifying thermal insulating materials for pipes, tanks, vessels, ductwork and equipment operating within the temperature range –40 C to +700 C) is a hefty 60 pages and covers a multitude of purposes.

BRE REPORT

The report BRE No 262 is actually a book which would set you back £32.50p and the abstract reads:

This report represents an update of the BRE guide first produced in 1989 and extensively revised in 1994. The approach of these earlier editions, highlighting the link between risks, causes and solutions, has been retained. This updated edition contains a number of revisions resulting from developments in research, changes in materials, construction techniques and the building regulations. The guide has been prepared to support the building regulations for the conservation of fuel and power. The information in this guide represents the recommendations of BRE on good design and construction practice associated with thermal standards. It discusses the more important technical risks associated with meeting the requirements of the building regulations for thermal insulation. Technical risks are highlighted and these are followed by actions that could be taken to avoid the risk. 80 pages - Just for information.

HVAC Compliance Guide

This is even more useful. TIMSA has an industry Compliance Guide which spans Part L. Not just domestic but commercial as well. That is also available here and will be useful across the board.