Partel's Airtight Membranes Now Certified for Passive House Construction and Fire Resistance

EXOPERM MONO SA 250 and VARA FLUID Spray are two Partel airtight systems recently tested and certified as a Passive House Component, Class phA, by the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany.

Very high energy savings in buildings are achieved by integrating highly efficient building systems, careful planning, and highly efficient components.

Through these certified membranes, Partel facilitates industry professionals reliable project planning, ensuring the delivery of necessary energy parameters for their use in Passive Houses and energy-efficient buildings. The tests took place under the most realistic possible conditions.

EXOPERM MONO SA 250 product systems test – membrane to membrane, membrane to OSB, membrane to concrete - resulted in an air permeability value of 0.01 (±0.004) m³/(hm²) standardised for a test pressure of 50 Pa. This phA component is classified as a self-adhered weather membrane with high resistance to penetration of water and wind, and can be used to achieve an external airtight layer in the building envelope.

In addition, EXOPERM MONO SA 250's performance was tested based on the latest applicable fire test methods by an independent authority and achieved reaction to fire classification B-s1, d0. This means it is suitable for use on external walls of high-rise buildings, in line with current building regulations for Ireland and the UK, specified in Approved Document B (Fire Safety).

VARA FLUID Spray product system test resulted in an air permeability value of 0.00 m³/(hm²) (±0.003) standardised for a test pressure of 50 Pa. This ready-to-use phA component is a smart fluid applied membrane that can be sprayed, providing advanced protection, allowing vapour to escape and dry the wall assembly during the whole year.

The baseline requirement for phA – the highest level of certification – is ≤0.10 @50 Pa [m3/(hm2)]. Both Partel airtight systems exceeded this significantly with a permeability result that demonstrated their unmatched effectiveness, qualified as components with the highest performance on the market in their categories of liquid-applied and self-adhesive systems.

The highest phA Class ensures designers, construction companies and building owners the best energy efficiency standard for their sustainable projects, and an increased level of certainty for the successful development of passive energy construction.

“Our ongoing commitment to reducing energy consumption in buildings and increasing building fabric durability is now sustained by the new PHI and fire certifications. Both EXOPERM MONO SA 250 and VARA FLUID Spray components have already been successfully installed in residential projects around Europe and the USA, demonstrating their real efficiency in use,” concludes Hugh Whiriskey, Director at Partel.

The two recent certifications are in addition to the certification Partel already obtained for the IZOPERM PLUS internal product system.

EXOPERM MONO SA and VARA FLUID membranes are currently available in Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe and North America.