A U value is a measure of heat loss in a building element such as a wall, floor or roof. It can also be referred to as an 'overall heat transfer co-efficient' and measures how well parts of a building transfer heat. This means that the higher the U value the worse the thermal performance of the building envelope. A low U value usually indicates high levels of insulation. They are useful as it is a way of predicting the composite behaviour of an entire building element rather than relying on the properties of individual materials.
By Andreea Teodora Merlan