Catnic caters for demand

With changes to the Building Regulations proposed for 2013 likely to see the maximum allowable U value reduced to 0.2 W/m2K, leading steel lintel manufacturer, Catnic has heavily invested in a product development programme and manufacturing facilities for its wide cavity lintel range.

Catnic is able to provide lintels for wider cavities up to 165mm.

Current Building Regulations allow a U value of 0.3 W/m2K,usually achieved with 40mm – 50mm of PIR insulation with a residual 50mm cavity.

However, with the upcoming changes to the Building Regulations, thegrowing popularity of wide cavity lintels, which enable the installation of a thicker insulation layer, has significantly increased. With demand growing,Catnic has invested in thermal modelling software and training, as well as sponsoring a University doctoral study to accurately evaluate the thermal performance of existing lintels and their effect on the overall thermal performance of a building.

Catnic’s CG lintels, which have been specifically designed to reduce thermal bridging, optimise steel usage and use discrete brackets in place of continuous base plates. BRE Information Paper 1/06 states that steel lintels without a base plate, such as the CG lintel, can use thedefault linear thermal transmittance ψ (psi) value of less than 0.30 W/mK.

The thermally modelled wide cavity lintels make it easy and cost effective to design buildings that comply with the existing Part L1A 2010 and, in thenear future, Part L1A 2013.

In addition, Catnic’s Lintel Psi Value Data sheet, which provides invaluable information on the Psi values of its standard lintels to suit walls with cavities from 90mm to 105 mm, will be expanded to include Psi values for lintels to suit cavities up to 165mm, to cater for the growing demand.

Richard Price, Technical Director from Catnic commented: “With demand accelerating steeply we are now investing heavily in both product development and manufacturing facilities, to ensure we can meet the demand for lintels that perform efficiently at greater widths. It is important that we update the Lintel Psi Value Data sheet and we will be providing specifiers with the most up-to-date information.”