Rockwool guide to successful energy renovation of school buildings

In a context of sharp increases in energy prices, educational establishments, which represent 50% of public buildings, have an estimated 10% of aging and energy-intensive structures that have become sources of discomfort for occupants in the face of climate change.

With temperatures too high or too low in poorly insulated buildings, the energy renovation of school buildings has become a priority issue in the national effort to reduce consumption initiated by the “France Nation Verte” roadmap and the tertiary decree. . The latter imposes 40% energy savings on local authorities by 2030.

To help achieve these objectives, as part of the EduRénov plan and in partnership with the Banque des Territoires, the public authorities have announced an additional 500 million euros for the energy renovation of schools in 2024 with a target of 40.000 establishments. renovated within 10 years. A plan praised by ROCKWOOL, world leader in rock wool insulation solutions, which works for thermal and sound comfort, particularly in schools, in order to offer students and teachers the best working and learning conditions. Through its Energy Renovation Guide dedicated to school buildings, ROCKWOOL deciphers the fundamental role of insulation in successful school renovation.

Any renovation starts with good insulation

The energy consumption of a building is due to two types of energy loss: part of the heat is evacuated by air renewal (VMC) and by infiltration, but the majority is generally evacuated through the walls not isolated. In this example, up to 80% of losses are the direct consequence of a lack of wall insulation. By insulating, heat loss is significantly reduced to provide greater comfort and energy savings. Good insulation thus makes it possible to reduce the energy consumption of the building, which will contribute to the preservation of resources and to fight against climate change, by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.

How rock wool responds to the 3 challenges of energy renovation of schools

The major challenges of school energy renovation are based on 3 pillars:

Protection of the environment and climate, which involves reducing the carbon footprint of buildings
Protection of people to sustainably guarantee summer and winter comfort for students and teaching teams, as well as optimal acoustics in a safe and healthy environment
Heritage protection and energy savings to sustainably reduce energy bills linked to buildings and invest more efficiently.

In order to respond to these fundamental issues, the ROCKWOOL Guide for school renovation details the advantages of rock wool: thermal performance, fire resistance, performance, acoustics, recyclability, durability, breathability, resistance to humidity. It is these intrinsic performances of rock wool which contribute to creating healthy, safer and more comfortable buildings for their occupants, while respecting the environment.

Acoustic ceilings or rock wool wall panels play a key role in improving acoustic quality and have been shown to reduce ambient noise by up to 50%. With Rockfon solutions sold in 2022, ROCWOOL has improved the learning conditions of 1,7 million students around the world.

Durability, comfort and health in the DNA of ROCKWOOL products

ROCKWOOL rock wool insulation is circular in nature, because it is made of rock, one of the most abundant raw materials on the planet, and has a lifespan of more than 65 years without losing its performance. ROCKWOOL products contain on average 25% and up to 75% non-virgin material and can be recycled infinitely thanks to Rockcycle. Offered since 2012 in France, the ROCKWOOL Rockcycle service has a simple purpose: to recycle waste and unused quantities of rock wool in order to create new insulation. This service has made it possible to collect and recycle more than 2.000 tonnes of rock wool on the French market, during the year 2023.

Beyond sustainability issues, rock wool offers fire, acoustic, thermal and air quality protection.

Fire protection: fire safety is an obligation within educational establishments. Rock wool is a naturally non-combustible material, which resists temperatures above 1.000°C.
Acoustic protection: ROCKWOOL rock wool has a high density which makes it excellent for noise absorption and sound attenuation. Impact noise, shock and vibrations coming from neighboring spaces are dampened. External noise pollution is also absorbed.
Thermal Protection: The high density of rock wool makes it more resistant to air flow and heat flux. By naturally preserving heat in winter and coolness in summer, ROCKWOOL insulation contributes to excellent thermal comfort and maintains its performance throughout the lifespan of the building.
Protection of air quality: indoor air quality is also a major public health issue, because concentrations of various pollutants are 5 to 10 times higher indoors than outdoors. It is therefore important that construction products are not sources of pollutant emissions into the air, meeting the requirements of class A+ of mandatory health labeling. ROCKWOOL rock wool products meet health criteria. Combined with good ventilation, rock wool contributes to improving indoor air quality and preserving the health and well-being of occupants.

A global thermal renovation for optimal energy performance

To effectively improve the energy performance of school buildings, ROCKWOOL recommends comprehensive thermal renovation. More complete than thermal renovation by element, global thermal renovation makes it possible to treat in a single site the 8 work stations (roof insulation, insulation of walls, floors, windows, heating, hot water production and ventilation) which have a real impact on improving the energy performance of buildings.

Consult the Guide to energy renovation of school buildings: HERE