ecoInsulate Blog
BUFCA
Posted: April 15th 2013
The British Urethane Foam Contractors Association has approved our application to become an Associate Member of the organisation. BUFCA is the industry's leading trade body whose objectives are to ensure the highest standards of Quality and Service from its members and to provide the specifier with authoritative technical advice in all aspects of design and application. All enquiries received by BUFCA are directed to relevant expert members who include those at the forefront of ecological polyurethane technology.The decision by Eco Insulate Ltd to apply for membership was influenced by our aim to continually improve the knowledge, skills and service offered to our clients whether these be members of the public or from the building industry. As part of our commitment we have agreed to be part of the committee which helps to maintain the effective and professional running of BUFCA. For more information visit www.bufca.co.uk
Hebrides wide spray foam insulation project: a First.
Posted: March 18th 2013
Hebridean Housing Partnership is embarking on an innovative spray foam insulation programme to upgrade their properties where previous traditional insulation methods have proved unsuitable. The work forms part of their Investment Programme to meet the Scottish Housing Quality standards. The first stage of this major contract has been awarded to eco Insulate Ltd following a competitive tendering process which involved surveying and providing a description of works to a variety of house types throughout the Western Isles and includes treating properties located in the far north of the Isle of Lewis down to the Isle of Barra in the south. A total of 84 properties will have Icynene Pour Fill water blown foam injected into coombed ceilings and dormer windows. This will provide excellent insulation through Icynene’s combined insulating and air tightness properties. The start of the works last month co-incided with the Warm Homes Campaign sponsored by Energy Action Scotland which ran throughout February.The project is also helping to provide employment in the area through the partnering arrangement between eco Insulate Ltd and Tighean Innse Gall, the Local Housing agency who provide Development Services, Care and Repair, an Energy Advice Service and through their Taigh Blath section central heating and insulation grants and installations. They will be providing invaluable local knowledge and administrative support to eco Insulate Ltd who are the main contractor and also providing ‘on the job’ training to their personnel.
Bryan Woods, MD of eco Insulate Ltd said ‘The award of this contract reflects the commitment of all parties to improve homes throughout the Outer Hebrides. It follows an earlier pilot scheme where we have liaised with HHP to ensure that the materials and application processes used are suitable for the variety of different house types typically found in the area. This is particularly important as the properties will be occupied whilst the work is in progress.’
This initial project is programmed for completion by the end of March 2013 when independent assessments of properties treated will be made to confirm the success of the treatment.
Warm Homes Campaign February 2013
Posted: February 5th 2013Energy Action Scotland together with National Energy Action launched the Warm Homes Campaign on 1st February 2013. eco Insulate are proud to support this campaign which will link with the Home Heat Helpline for a month of promotion to help raise awareness of and reduce fuel poverty.
For more information go to www.eas.org.uk or contact the Home Heat helpline on 0800 336699.
Client satisfaction equals warmer homes.
Posted: January 8th 2013[caption id="attachment_545" align="alignright" width="224"]
Foam injection to estate cottage.Lockerbie.[/caption]
Following ongoing assessments of work carried out in 2012 eco insulate Ltd have achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 97%. Many of these projects came about following knowledge sharing and referrals from previously satisfied customers who were impressed with both the insulation properties of the company’s spray foam materials and the way in which the work was successfully completed. The direct outcome was that buildings were treated which may otherwise have remained uninsulated as more conventional materials such as those supplied through Government grant schemes were unsuitable.
Client feedback forms part of eco Insulate’s Continuous Improvement policy, taking into account work completed in both the Public and Private sector and includes comments from tenants of social housing providers. The assessment, which measures all aspects of the company’s insulation activities, includes the surveying and estimating service, order processing, application process and spraying team as well as the quality of the installed product and overall experience with the company. In fact results show that eco Insulate exceeded customer expectations with 100% of respondents citing the overall experience with the company as being excellent or good.
Colin Davidson, the company’s Surveying and Estimating Manager says ‘Questionnaires are sent out on completion of the work to clients, private owners, housing providers and their tenants. These results confirm that we provide the best products and service levels across all market sectors. It is especially useful for social housing providers as the feedback can help them monitor our performance, the satisfaction of tenants with the work and their own role as a social landlord. It’s clear that the experience we’ve gained as Scotland’s original and longest established Icynene approved contractor is paying off as we are able to tackle a wide range of insulation jobs. These include marine applications, air sealing and more routine insulation projects for all types of construction. It also shows that we can undertake work in more specialist areas such as museums and schools.’
One recent private client carried out their own research and found that following work completed by eco Insulate Ltd to their ‘hard to treat’ property, they used 50% less fuel over 12 months when compared with similar weather conditions in the past. This exceeded their expectations of around 30% saving and they stated they were ‘more than happy with the results to date’.
It’s this type of approach that the Government is looking to encourage from companies working under the Green Deal. While much of this initiative’s processes are yet to be finalised eco Insulate Ltd are clearly leading the way by monitoring the performance of their products and service levels.
Resolving condensation and mould growth problems.
Posted: December 5th 2012
Living habits change from one individual to another and modern lifestyles affect the way buildings are used. Often properties built to previous Building Standards suffer from condensation and mould growth which is bad for both the health of the occupant as well as the building fabric. Eco Insulate Ltd has recently been contracted to carry out retrofit work to overcome such problems for two Lothian based Social Housing providers. Icynene foam was sprayed and injected to improve the insulation and air tightness of properties owned by East Lothian Housing Association (Tranent) and Prospect Community Housing in Edinburgh. This work followed previously unsuccessful attempts by the clients to resolve the issues using more conventional insulating materials.www.prospectch.org.uk
www.elha.com
SHQS achieved by insulating coombed ceilings in Stornoway.
Posted: November 26th 2012
Following the successful treatment by eco Insulate Ltd of 15 houses in Stornoway for the Hebridean Housing Partnership a sample of house types was subjected to Thermal imaging and air tightness tests. This provided invaluable data for HHP who evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment and helped them apply low cost solutions to increase the thermal properties of the houses, decrease carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency.In the past HHP used National Home Energy Rating (NHER) software which The Scottish Government uses to determine the energy efficiency of Housing stock within the public sector. This then helps to determine whether a property meets the Scottish Housing Quality Standards which have to be achieved by 2015.
However both HHP and their consultants Greenspace believe that air tightness makes a significant contribution to improving the heating of homes throughout the Western Isles. They decided to use alternative SAP2009 software which is a full version SAP used in new build situations. This produced a true score for their stock which they discovered was generally higher than the results produced using RdSAP in the NHER software.
HHP found that once weak areas in the building fabric had been identified and treated, the scores increased further and in some cases above the expectations for their properties beyond 2020. In this case the properties had already had insulation placed in the loft under previous Government funded schemes but the addition of Icynene foam into the untreated coombs produced a SAP2009 score of 69 compared with the SHQS target for electrically heated properties of 63. An excellent result for the tenants, HHP and the environment!
No Fines.............No problem !
Posted: September 10th 2012To take into account the difficulties facing both Public landlords and Private owners of No Fines properties in respect of insulating this type of building, we have produced an information sheet highlighting the capabilities of our spray foams.
Widely built after the Second World war as a quick and practical solution to the housing shortage the properties have stood the test of time in respect of their appearance and internal layout. However continually increasing fuel costs has meant that this type of construction now falls into the Hard to Treat category.
Up until recently the only way to upgrade No Fines properties was by the application of expensive external overcladding or by stripping out internally for relining with insulated plasterboard. The former solution entails large capital works and the latter involves decanting tenants and the possible reduction of floor area coupled with wiring extensions etc. Icynene Pour fill formula is an injectable foam with a low pressure rate of expansion meaning work can be completed without the inhabitants having to leave home while work is carried out. It also retains the existing structure without the need for any modifications apart from simple re-decoration.
Hard to treat properties the new focus……..
Posted: August 10th 2012[caption id="attachment_508" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="BISF Steel framed house type"]
[/caption]Both the Public and Private sectors have previously taken advantage of various Government initiatives to successfully upgrade millions of homes and improve their energy efficiency. Typically the properties benefitting from this work comprise ‘traditional modern’ construction and as a result can be treated at relatively low cost. However as these are completed it’s becoming necessary to tackle the hard to treat type of property comprising older builds or system built dwellings.This is reflected by the increase in enquiries received by eco Insulate from public sector clients and those owner occupiers who exercised their right to buy housing stock from providers.
We have recently been involved in discussions to look at BISF housing, No Fines and Swedish Timber framed stock.Many of these buildings are still popular with their owners and tenants because of the facilities they provide or their location within the community. This makes them an ideal target for improvement with projects being undertaken under capital works or as part of a maintenance programme.
Hard to treat buildings can also be read as expensive to treat but spray foam solutions can help to reduce the overall cost by offering a practical solution. A clear indication of this is the occasions where we have been asked to put forward proposals for system built industrial buildings and schools built to unusual shapes, where more conventional insulation materials have proved unsuitable.
Scottish Homebuilding and Renovating Show 2012
Posted: May 22nd 2012We completed our fourth consecutive appearance at this years show held once again at the SECC on the 19th and 20th of May. Despite competing with two major football events on Saturday (the Scottish Cup Final and Champions League Final) and long overdue summer weather on Sunday we were kept extremely busy taking enquires for new build and home renovation projects. These not only provide a good long term business base in respect of the new build projects but also help to fill in small gaps within our current work schedule where smaller projects can be completed in short time scales.
Once again our stand displayed typical Timber frame applications, our airtightness machine which always attracts attention and a project gallery. Video equipment also showed the application process and gave access to our recently updated website.
Effective Insulation of No-Fines housing
Posted: April 30th 2012
Confirmation of the effectiveness of Icynene spray foam insulation was provided following informal testing on No-Fines construction recently. Samples were put together after a sucessful pilot scheme carried out on a Housing Association property to determine the extent of which the insulating foam would penetrate the structure when injected into the void behind the plasterboard.The samples comprised of boxes infilled with No-fines material which were left to fully cure prior to the addition of timber straps and plasterboard 'dry lining'. Pour fill formula Icynene foam was then injected through application holes drilled into the plasterbaord to replicate the on-site process. Once the foam had cured, the samples were exposed and the impressive results can be seen in the photographs above. Not only had the foam fully filled the void but it had also penetrated around the joints and fissures within the structure to a depth of up to 100mm. This will drastically reduce cold bridging and also improve the energy efficiency of the building by reducing heat loss arising from both conduction and air leakage.
Warm Front: Winter edition
Posted: February 10th 2012eco Ins Newsletter 3 0112Here's the latest edition of Warm Front which provides a brief overview of The Green Deal and details of work carried out by Annandale Estates on a number of their properties. You can also find out more about other uses for Icynene spray foam and its green credentials.
Good Crieff!
Posted: November 11th 2011
The Crieff Hydro was the venue for the 2011 SFHA Property Maintenance Conference which took place earlier this month. The event was attended by over 90 delegates travelling from as far afield as Shetland in the North to Dumfries in the South who participated in various workshop and plenary sessions. The event also hosted an exhibition comprising leading commercial supporters of the SFHA and suppliers to the Social Housing sector. Our own stand attracted a great deal of interest and gave us the opportunity to meet new clients as well as those for whom we have already successfully completed insulation projects. On display were examples of Icynene Classic, Pour fill and MDR products showing the individual applications for which they are best suited. The air barrier properties were also illustrated by our now famous 'Blowing machine' which showed how Icyenene can reduce heat loss arising from air leakage especially when compared to other more conventional materials.In some cases there was up to 7 degrees C difference in the amount of heat retained by the Icynene product.Participating in this event forms part of eco Insulate Ltd's continuing support to social housing providers, other business communities and Government agencies who are involved with reducing carbon emissions and fighting fuel poverty.
Warm Front: Autumn edition
Posted: November 11th 2011eco Ins Newsletter 2 1111Here's the Autumn edition of Warm Front, our quarterly newsletter. In this edition you can read about Energy Action Scotland, Icynene's new accreditations and other news items.If you'd like this to be delivered direct to your e-mail address please contact us via our 'Contact' page on the main website.
Winter Olympics hopefuls.
Posted: September 19th 2011
We're proud to be a sponsor of Team Murdoch, one of the leading men’s curling teams in the UK. Their skip David Murdoch has won the European Championship 3 times, led his teams to two World Curling Championships in 2006 and 2009 and represented TEAM GB in the Olympic Games at Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010.We’re pleased to be associated with a traditional sport that has brought a great deal of success to the UK in both World and Olympic events especially as some of this team started off their career at our local Ice rink in Lockerbie. A further link to Curling arises from the fact that Icynene, our spray foam insulation system is manufactured in Canada who are currently the World’s No 1.
Team Murdoch’s spokesman said ‘We would like to say a massive thanks to everyone for the help and support so far. We are really happy with how our kit looks and it will go well with our professional approach to the next three seasons, hopefully leading us to the 2014 Winter Olympics.’
The team recently competed in their first tournament of the 2011/2012 season in Switzerland where despite stiff competition they reached the semi finals. They’re hoping to build on this and are currently competing in a major tournament in Canada.
A Warm front is on the way.....
Posted: August 16th 2011We're not talking about the weather but the first edition of 'Warm front', eco Insulate's Newsletter. This will be issued on a regular basis and provide news , views and comment on the world of insulation and energy efficiency.'Warm front' will be of interest to architects and property managers in both the public and private sectors as well as builders, developers and the private individual looking to carry out energy saving measures. The first edition covers Fuel poverty, the importance of installing complete insulation with no gaps and the 25th Anniversary of Icynene inc as well as some other topics. For your free copy of the Summer edition click on this linkeco Ins Newsletter1 0811
'Gaps in Insulation can cost more than gaps in funding'......
Posted: June 24th 2011
These were the words of a Housing Officer at a recent conference where different insulation methods were being discussed!Following the Government's understanding of the need to actively encourage the insulation of more traditional built properties now known as 'Hard to Heat and Hard to Treat' its clear that the correct choice of material is critical.
Our Icynene foam ticks all the boxes in this respect as it can be used to insulate a variety of different building types and construction. Its particularly suited to installations where its not possible to apply thick layers of insulation as its combined insulating and air barrier properties provide a much higher performance when compared with more conventional materials.
Obviously any gaps in insulation whether these are caused by sagging, shrinkage, poor fitting or just through air permeability will allow heat to be lost making any energy efficiency project less cost effective and leaving the occupier with potentiallly higher fuel bills than expected.
So the solution is to use Icynene and help keep the warmth that's been paid for in the home.
A Hat trick of shows.
Posted: May 31st 2011
Our third appearance on the trot at The Scottish Homebuilding and Renovation Show proved a resounding success once again. With Icynene's UK distributor on a nearby stand, it gave us an ideal opportunity to show their range of foams and update visitors on applications for both retrofit and new build.Our display showed Icynene Classic in both spray and pour fill applications together with MDR 200 which we had recently used to insulate the hull of a steel canal boat. The improved water resistance of MDR 200 was highlighted with a small water pool formed from MDR 200, complete with a small flotilla of boats carved from Classic and MDR materials.
The air barrier properties of Icynene were explained with the help of our 'blowing machine' which clearly illustrates the effectiveness of Icynene in reducing air leakage compared with cellulose and quilted materials. The touchy feely nature of our stand encouraged many visitors who at times, had to queue to find out more details and we worked flat out on both days of the show, not that we're complaining!
The high level of interest was confirmed by the numerous enquiries received during the event as well as the many sets of drawings for self build projects subsequently e-mailed to us here in Lochmaben.We're now busy quoting for work which is programmed to go ahead over the next 12 months.
All in all a good weekend in Glasgow for both eco Insulate and our potential customers.
Insulation on the move!
Posted: April 8th 2011Following a successful year we've moved into new premises which combine the depot, storage and administration facilities of the business under one roof. The building which has been purposely converted from a previously empty factory now forms part of a larger business unit development at Lochmaben in the South West of Scotland. Our MD, Bryan Lewis Woods said ‘This move will consolidate our existing business and also take into account our future plans for expansion. We have spent the last year building good relationships with Housing Associations, Specifiers and the Self build market and have been encouraged by their response to the service we offer. This is evident by the feedback received especially regarding the pilot projects carried out for a number of clients in the Public sector.’
The overall development has of course been fully insulated with Icynene spray foam which was applied direct to the underside of the profiled sheet roof covering as well as external and partition walls. This has helped bring a new lease of life to a previously unused building which now provides various sized units to suit businesses around Dumfries and Galloway.
Flying the flag at St Andrews.
Posted: November 5th 2010We were pleased to be part of the SFHA Property Maintenance Conference at St. Andrews recently where there was a great deal of interest in our solutions to help Housing Associations reach the SHQS by 2015. We demonstrated ways of reducing heat loss by applying foam to profiled sheet roofing, Weir steel framed houses, no fines construction and traditional stone built properties which are difficult to treat using more conventional materials. These construction methods don't always allow a great depth of insulation to be fitted, limiting the potential for energy savings. However we know that the added air tightness properties of Icynene foam provides improved performance by reducing heat loss through air leakage.
Our MD, Bryan Lewis Woods explains 'The Scottish Government's CO2 reduction targets can be difficult to acheive on non traditonal or older properties. In some cases it may mean removing internal wall finishes and re-boarding with insulated plasterboard , a lengthy process requiring tenants to be decanted while the work is carried out. Overcladding offers an alternative solution but this also involves additional work in respect of extending window cills and ingoes as well as the roof at eaves level. Our solution to inject internally means that insulating a house can usually be completed within one day with only minimal decoration being required.' Bryan adds 'Icynene foam is a water blown material from a castor oil base and is fully approved by REACH which guarantees the safe use of the product in residential situations.This makes it ideal for properties where tenants could be susceptible to allergies normally associated with alternative materials.'
All in all the event was a success and we are looking forward to supporting the SFHA at future events.
eco Insulate start the new season by supporting the SFHA
Posted: September 1st 2010
eco Insulate Ltd are proud to have been accepted as a corporate member of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. We expect membership to provide a better understanding of SFHA member’s needs and hope to build on existing relationships by providing clear specification and installation advice. Eco Insulate will also be supporting the SFHA by participating in their Property Maintenance Conference at St Andrews on the 1st and 2nd of November 2010. This together with our involvement in the Energy Efficiency Learning Network organised by the Scottish Assembly confirms eco Insulate’s commitment to work with Registered Social Landlords to help them meet CO2 reduction targets of 60% by 2013.
We beleive that by reducing CO2 emissions the RSL’s will also be able to tackle the increasing problem of fuel poverty, where at least 10% of a tenants income is spent on heating the whole house. With existing housing contributing the most to these emissions it’s important that effective solutions are found. Icynene is a recognised Green Building product combining an air barrier with thermal insulation to reduce energy costs. Unlike many conventional insulation materials it can also be installed in older stone built properties or those with coombed ceilings and dormer windows.
We beleive that by reducing CO2 emissions the RSL’s will also be able to tackle the increasing problem of fuel poverty, where at least 10% of a tenants income is spent on heating the whole house. With existing housing contributing the most to these emissions it’s important that effective solutions are found. Icynene is a recognised Green Building product combining an air barrier with thermal insulation to reduce energy costs. Unlike many conventional insulation materials it can also be installed in older stone built properties or those with coombed ceilings and dormer windows.
Quiet Dental fillings!
Posted: July 8th 2010A new dental surgery in Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway is set to benefit from the sound insulation properties of Icynene spray foam.
eco Insulate carried out the application at The Birch Valley Dental Clinic during conversion of an existing building to form the new surgery. Sound proofing was required to new partitions to ensure patient privacy between treatment rooms and adjoining areas, part of the NHS requirements.The sprayed application of Icynene ensured a complete seal around service pipework and at the junction of timber framing with the rest of the building. This coupled with Icynene's air barrier properties reduces flanking sound transmisson.
A further consideration in the choice of Icynene is that it does not contain any Formaldehyde or give off any detectable emissions over it's lifetime. The water blown application avoids the need to use HCFC's and other Ozone depleting gases.
All in all a clean bill of health all round for both patients and staff at Dalbeattie.