EcoDuct Market Update – 29th February 2024

EcoDuct Transformative Ductwork Technology - Unlocking the Potential for Sustainable Materials in Building and Mechanical Services. We CAN make a difference on the road to NET ZERO.

One of the challenges for our industry, in the process of identifying suitable sustainable materials, is that there is so little focus on building services/mechanical materials, which can comprise up to 40% of the building material components. This is surely a lost opportunity. There are several reasons for this, the three main ones being that core building materials such as concrete and steel are such an obvious target, the lack of awareness about the existence and availability of none-core MEP materials that have strong environmental credentials and can be re-used and, finally, the lack of relevant MEP material data that can drive the process.

 As an integral part of building services, HVAC comprises a surprisingly large component. In fact, a previous industry report stated that, in the UK, HVAC comprised up to 24% of the 30-year lifecycle costs of a building, covering both the initial construction costs and the operation and maintenance thereafter. Also, HVAC tends to be a largely unseen component and more of a commodity material, so not an obvious choice for any serious attention. Therefore, there would appear to be lots of room for improvement.

 Some examples of what can be achieved are:

  • A comparison of 1,000m2 of metal ducting to EcoDuct/KoolDuct, showed a saving of over 9 tonnes of embodied carbon (the metal ducting details were from ICE – The Inventory of Carbon & Energy and the EcoDuct details were from the KoolDuct EPD).

  • A calculation done with leading M&E consultants on EcoDuct/KoolDuct – showing that EcoDuct/KoolDuct was 67% lighter and there was a 50% reduction in secondary steel, with a further corresponding saving in embodied carbon. Also, as EcoDuct has an air leakage of class D, the calculation showed a 60% reduction in the size of fans required, with a corresponding energy saving.

  • A detailed calculation on a recent project showed a 76% reduction in embodied carbon through the use of EcoDuct/KoolDuct, as below:

Which brings us neatly to EcoDuct, which is the only UK fabricator of pre-insulated non-metallic HVAC ductwork, fabricated from the KoolDuct phenolic insulation panels, that comes in all shapes and sizes. The use of EcoDuct:

1. Reduces the embodied carbon in any system by up to 75%, and sometimes more,

2. Reduces the energy consumed in the operation of the HVAC by up to 45%, and sometimes more,

3. Optimise cradle-to-cradle circularity – it is the only ductwork that can easily and practically be entirely re-used at the end of the life of the mechanical services,

4. Is the only UK fabricated ductwork to be rated as Class D for air leakage, which is a major source of energy losses and increased costs.

 This is not to forget several other unique advantages from the use of EcoDuct, including a weight saving of up to 85%, a space saving of up to 30%, optimal off-site pre-fabrication, minimal waste throughout the fabrication and installation process – and the further sustainability benefits that are derived from these advantages.

EcoDuct is also fully tested and approved and compliant with all relevant building standards and regulations. We also have all the relevant material data, including an EPD and material safety information.

Our major challenge is to get this knowledge and awareness out into the market, hence this market update, the intent of which is simply to spread the word to those that have an important role in this process.