ETICS is the abbreviation for External Thermal Insulation Composite System.
ETICS can be used to improve the sustainability and the energy efficiency of both new and existing buildings. ETICS are kits in the sense of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), meaning construction products comprising of specified prefabricated components being applied directly to the façade on the construction site.
The most used ETICS are applied to solid walls made from masonry or concrete and use a rendering system as final layer. The following graph illustrates typical system components.
ETICS with rendering system
These systems typically comprise of:
Finishing layer: finishing coat with a key coat (optional) and/or decorative coat (optional)
Accessories, e.g. fabricated corner beads, connection and edge profiles, expansion joint profiles, base profiles, etc.
A comprehensive range of system configurations (kits) is available to meet the various demands of building structure, national building codes and architecture. Which configuration of system components is required for specific projects depends on system holder’s specifications, installation manuals and national regulation.
The quality and durability of ETICS depend on the careful choice of system components. This composition is done by system holders (manufacturers of ETICS kits). They take responsibility that components perfectly fit together, the declared performances are met and of constancy of performance of production is achieved. This is why all ETICS placed on the market by system holders are intensely tested in relation to their essential characteristics.
However, the declared performances can only be guaranteed by the system manufacturer provided that ETICS kits, comprising of single components, are purchased from one manufacturer (from a single source) and installed following the manufacturer’s installation manuals. This goes in line with the definition as given in the CPR.
ETICS – amazing variety of solutions
ETICS are amazing. Did you know that ETICS offer solutions for almost all architectural demands, building types and building regulation? Please, find hereafter a non-complete overview of applications offered by numerous ETICS manufacturers, often SMEs.
ETICS on timber substrates
ETICS with brick slips
ETICS with natural stones
ETICS-on-ETICS
The life cycle of applied ETICS can easily prolonged when applying a second layer of ETICS on top to upgrade already insulated walls with less thermal resistance to current energy-efficiency requirements.