“A ten per cent increase in the number of timber frame homes built within the EU would produce sufficient carbon dioxide savings to meet 25 per cent of EU requirements under the Kyoto Protocol”, a leading expert has said.

Robin Lancashire, timber frame consultant with TRADA Technologies (Timber Research and Development Association) was speaking at a seminar, entitled “Timber Frame – Energy Efficient Dwellings for the 21st Century”, organised by the Irish Timber Frame Manufacturers’ Association.

Lancashire said that this saving in CO2 emissions can be made as timber uses less energy to manufacture from raw material to finished product than any other building material.

He continued, “Traditional construction materials create other problems; waste material produced on-site needs to be transported to landfills, where as timber frame waste does not leave the manufacturers facility. Timber waste is often used in the manufacture of chipboard and as a biodegradable and combustible biomass, any other waste can be disposed of easily”. But there is always room for improvement and Lancashire believes that further EU legislation will be introduced to ensure that old materials from derelict buildings be recycled before any new building commences.

Lancashire also added, “Not only can timber frame reduce your carbon footprint but TRADA’s research has shown that using timber also helps to save energy over the life of a building as it provides excellent thermal insulation. In fact, timber is 15 times more efficient than concrete, 400 times better than steel and 1,700 times better than aluminium.”

According to Philip Mahony, manager of the Irish Timber Frame Manufacturers’ Association, “Timber frame’s Irish market share is on the increase. The more the timber frame method of construction is used in Ireland the more we are doing to play our part in helping the country achieve its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.”