Insulate, seal vents and draughts
Trevor Northey working on the roof over the Supper Room. Click image for more information
A basic first step for these buildings in our climate is to improve insulation where possible.
Most of the roof/ceiling system for Community Complex building is poorly insulated. The existing roofing / ceiling system would have a combined R value of about R 0.6 or less. With only 50mm air space between the top of the ceiling panels and the roof decking, there is no room to add much insulation. The cost of raising the whole roof about 200mm to accommodate insulation was investigated, and found to be too expensive.
Kevin Jacka applying heat reflective paint to the roof of the Meeting Room. It is bright up there! Click image
So what was the best we could do with the existing roof and ceiling, given the way the building is used?
The 50mm compressed strawboard ceiling panels, although only rated as R 0.62, are not too bad for a building that is usually only occupied [and heated / cooled] for short periods. However the steel I beam that carries these strawboard panels transmits heat and cold from the roof decking into the ceiling below. On a hot day the exposed internal edge of the steel I beams in the ceilings would become too hot to touch – probably > 60 degrees, and radiate heat into the room.
Afternoon on the roof of the Community Complex. The sun is behind the camera, so the light and heat is being reflected away. Click image for more information
Most of the heat part of this problem was solved with heat reflective paint. This was one of the single biggest and most cost effective impacts we have had on the operation of this building. For approx $14 000 excl. GST, the 1600sq metres of roof over both buildings has been painted. The paint we used, Astec Energy Star white, is said to reflect 89% of heat, and is also very good at releasing heat to the night sky – 89% emissivity.
Yuta and Trevor fixing timber cover strips to the exposed internal edge of the steel roof purlins in the Supper Room. Click image for more information
After applying this paint we received many comments from the regular users of the building that it is now appreciably cooler in summer. The cost to supply and apply this paint worked out to about $9.50 /sq metre, including GST. It is expensive as a paint, but can be relatively cheap as a cooling strategy for difficult to insulate roofs.
Meeting room with old ceiling tiles removed, showing only thin roofing blanket insulation under the decking. Click image for more detail
However the heat reflective paint does not help to keep heat in the building in winter. The building is often empty and unheated, is only used for occasional events, and so is only heated for short periods, usually 4 hrs or less. The strawboard ceilings give quite acceptable insulation for short period use. It probably takes more than four hours for much heat to begin passing through the panels. The metal beams can still radiate cold from outside to in, though. While not a perfect solution, our compromise was to cover the exposed internal edge of the metal beams with timber boards.
Aldo Borg helped to dismantle the old ceiling tile framing, as he had a use for it in insulating his shed. Click image for more detail.
The Meeting Rooms area has a different ceiling system, of suspended acoustic ceiling tiles. There was no insulation over these, and only about a 40mm thick roofing blanket jammed between the decking/sarking, and the roofing purlins.
Mike (obscured) and Paul Larkin putting the old light fittings into the new Meeting Room ceiling. Click image for more detail.
It seemed that the obvious thing to do was to add bulk insulation above the existing ceiling tiles. However replacements for the existing ceiling tiles are no longer available, and it was going to be impossible to work on these tiles without damaging some of them. Plus working on the old ceiling tiles required care and patience, which comes easily to some tradespeople and builders, but not all.
Gaspard (obscured) and Yuta placing bulk insulation above the old ceiling tiles in the meeting rooms foyer, and replacing damaged tiles as they go. Click image for more detail
Companies offered to replace all of these ceilings, which would have been wasteful. We don't just want to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. We need to Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Recycle, Re-invent... and so on. (Reconnect, Relocalise...)
So we dismantled and replaced the existing ceiling from the main Meeting Room, only, and salvaged the good tiles from this area to replace tiles in the meeting rooms foyer, VTAG, and RSL rooms.
Careful repair and re-use of the old ceiling tiles was much cheaper than replacing the whole ceiling. This contributed to the project having enough money to put a new and insulated tile ceiling in the Library.
The energy efficiency retrofit of two community buildings – a 1970's built community complex (former Shire offices), and a similar aged Early Childhood Centre, recently extended. Project funding by Sustainability Victoria, as an 'EcoLiving Demonstration Project'.