PAROC PARTICIPATES IN RESEARCH PROJECT ON
LATVIA-MADE, ENERGY EFFICIENT AND INNOVATIVE
INSULATION PANELS
During the research project “Study into Wood Materials of Increased
Environmental Value”, SIA Paroc, together with Latvāņi, helped the
Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Institute carry
out the renovation and thermal insulation of a building façade of the
Latvia University of Agriculture. The building in question is the Wood
Processing Division of the Forest Department, located in Jelgava,
on Dobeles Street 41. The objective of the collaboration between
producers and scientists has been to determine the thermal insulation
effectiveness of insulated panels made out of Latvian wood and
PAROC stone wool. To this end, temperature and moisture monitoring
systems were incorporated into the panels.
The main advantage of the innovative insulation panels is that they are made of organic and sustainable
Latvian wood and “Paroc” stone wool. Furthermore, the panels are made at a manufacturing facility that
is already up and running, which ensures a much shorter installation time and less inconvenience for the
building owner.
The research “Study into Wood Materials of Increased Environmental Value” is a part of the programme
“Centres of Competence”, run by SIA “MNKC”. The project is financed under the agreement
No. L-KC-11-0004 that has been concluded with the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.
Said Kārlis Būmanis, Deputy Director of the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Institute
(Meža un koksnes produktu pētniecības un attīstības institūts, MEKA):
“During the research project, we installed a monitoring system in the thermal insulation panels. This allowed us to
measure a number of indicators – air temperature and relative humidity, temperature of the material and its surface –
which we monitored online. We then collated and used the data in further research and development of the insulation
panel production technology. Although the system allowed us to observe data on a daily basis, we are planning to
arrive at broader conclusions within a year.”
Ronalds Liepiņš, Product Development Manager at Paroc, emphasises Paroc’s active role in designing the project.
“Paroc has been collaborating with MEKA scientists for a long time as being non-combustible; our stone wool
is extensively used in thermal insulation of wooden buildings. We are delighted to have participated in the project,
which is focused on developing innovative insulation by studying the properties of Latvia-made, sustainable, and
environmental thermal insulation panels. This will hopefully result in the launch of industrial production at the
company Latvāņi.”
Innovative and energy-efficient thermal insulation panels have the possibility to become a popular
solution for thermal insulation of buildings in Latvia. This method is already used for energy efficient
renovation in Western Europe and the Nordic region. In Latvia, this solution has so far been used in
the following buildings: new building of the Riga Technical University’s Design and Energy Faculty in
Ķīpsala (Riga), an office building on Deglava Street in Riga, and now at the Wood Processing Division
of the Forest Department of the Latvia University of Agriculture. The panels for all these projects were
manufactured at the factory and they were delivered to each construction site ready to be installed – with
basic thermal insulation, wind protection boards, vapour barriers and internal grey finish – except for the
external finishing boards, which varied from one project to another.
During construction, the installation time for these panels is at least three times shorter than that of
traditional thermal insulation technologies. For the ready-made panels, the daily installation area is
100 m² to 120 m², which means significant reduction in construction site and equipment maintenance
costs during a thermal insulation project. It is also important to note that these panels are highly beneficial
for buildings that demand low energy consumption, thermal insulation over 250 mm thick and value of
thermal conductivity under 0.14 W/m²K, where use of simple façade insulation with rendering makes it
more difficult to meet increasing requirements of saving energy.
SIA PAROC
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LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Tālrunis +371 67 375070
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www.paroc.lv
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