Pilot of new innovative external wall insulation in North Wales could be used as a model to retrofit historic properties to improve energy efficiency.
Social housing tenants living in a traditional stone-built property will benefit from improved energy efficiency, as a result of a ground-breaking new technique pioneered in North Wales.
As the property in Y Felinheli houses residents with physical and learning difficulties, it was not suitable for internal wall insulation due to the disruption that would be caused by rehousing them temporarily and working around their specialist equipment. Therefore, a decision was made to explore external insulation, allowing the residents to remain in their homes throughout.
However, due to the original construction of the home being built from stone and concrete render (which needed to be replaced with lime render), social landlord North Wales Housing had difficulty finding a product that would insulate the external walls while meeting the building regulation requirements for traditional buildings.
However, by working with local retrofit experts, Greenhouse Energy and Retrospect Consultancy Ltd on a pilot scheme supported by the Welsh Government, the Association has been able to find a solution for the property. A new technique has been created, using an aerogel product, which delivers significant energy efficiency benefits while preserving the building’s traditional look.
The team behind the pilot plan to present their evidence to Ofgem in the hope that the technique will be granted ‘innovation status’ and can be rolled out to similar traditional properties, which are common in rural areas in North Wales and the rest of the UK.
Ruth Lanham-Wright, Assistant Director Homes at North Wales Housing Association said: “We work extremely hard to ensure that every home that we provide is high quality and resource efficient. This can prove difficult with some older, traditional-build properties, but we are committed to rising to that challenge and ensuring that nobody is left behind.
“What we have achieved in Gwynedd could set the trend for ensuring that similar properties across North Wales and beyond can still be upgraded to improve energy efficiency, and ultimately provide a better quality of life to residents. This project has been a showcase of partnership working at its best.”
Michael Robson, Managing Director of Retrospect Consultancy commented: “I am delighted that we were able to work with North Wales Housing and the Welsh Government on this pioneering technique.
“This property presented a significant challenge, as there is no current system designer for this product. However, we were able to amalgamate two current suppliers who have worked closely together to create a new system with the intention of officially taking it to market.”
Lee Morley, Director of Independent Energy Savers LTD who carried out the installation added: “I believe we have put together one of the highest quality External Wall Systems to be used in the UK, and hope that this will be more widely used after this case study. A lot of experts were brought together to make sure that the system design and insulation would work to a high standard and last as long, if not longer than a standard system.”
The header image shows the property following the installation of the external wall insulation.
