Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book This book is an attempt to rectify some of these performance issues, to help designers and contractors reduce this performance and quality gap so that we can consistently deliver better homes. It examines the gap between design and as-built performance and highlights common areas that designers and builders need to engage with. The book describes current performance standards, and the principles of a thermally efficient building envelope. It highlights different construction types commonly used for new homes and key areas of the thermal envelope that often are problematic. The book examines the common mechanical and electrical services in new homes. It highlights basic performance recommendations for key building services to deliver their intended performance. The book concludes with a summary of how to deliver improved performance for new homes.