ecoInsulate Blog
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.