October 2019

Insulation Updates
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
ESTATE GAINS FOR KINGSPAN
A new build estate of bespoke modular houses is benefitting from the outstanding thermal performance of Kingspan Kooltherm
K110 Plus Soffit Board.
The Beechwood West estate forms the first step in Swan Housing Association’s 10 year development plan for Basildon. The new
neighbourhood of 251 family houses is designed to bring affordable, custom-built homes to the popular commuter centre. Pollard
Thomas Edwards has created a variety of designs which buyers can choose from. Once selected, the homes are constructed at scheme partner, NU living’s,
factory using modular approaches. Swan Housing Association is aiming to reduce the operational CO emissions of each of its properties to 2.6 tonnes per
²
year by 2021. This will be achieved by taking a fabric-first approach to the construction of new homes and implementing retrofit measures on existing
properties. With this commitment in mind, the Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Plus Soffit Board was specified for use in the houses with recessed entrances, in
order to effectively insulate the spaces above. The product is part of Kingspan’s K100 range of rigid insulation boards which achieve a thermal conductivity of
0.018 W/m·K across all board thicknesses. This outstanding thermal performance allowed the target U-value to be met with a slim thickness of insulation,
ensuring the aesthetic integrity of Pollard Thomas Edwards’ contemporary designs could be maintained. Installers were able to simply cut the lightweight
boards to size with a fine-toothed saw and install them within the modular buildings ready to be transported to site. www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk
LONG GAME PAYS OFF FOR ISOVER
Isover has extended the length of its Spacesaver and Spacesaver Ready-Cut glass mineral wool
insulation rolls.
With approximately 33% more insulation per roll, contractors can complete their projects faster. Sarah
Buchanan of Isover said: “In conjunction with Spacesaver’s excellent roll recovery, strength and flexibility, we
developed the longer roll lengths to make loft insulation work easier. The pallet size and number of rolls per
pallet remains the same, but with changes in packaging there is now up to a third more product per pack, which
means that contractors can transport more product to site and complete their jobs faster.” www.isover.co.uk
TRANSFORMING HIGH-RISE TOWERS
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) has been taking a bold approach to tackling poorly insulated homes for its tenants.
On its latest refurbishment project at Lion Farm Estate in Oldbury, the council has worked with Lovell, ROCKWOOL and Rockpanel to create energy
efficient, comfortable homes for occupants. In a phased programme, each block is being super-insulated using ROCKWOOL’s RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB
and then clad with Rockpanel A2 façade boards to substantially improve thermal, sound and fire safety performance and provide an attractive, new
look. Made from stone wool, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB is A1 fire rated, non-combustible insulation, for optimum fire safety performance. It also has the
benefit of high resistance to wind and rain during construction, which together with the minimal number of fixings required, makes installation quicker
and easier for contractors. https://www.rockwool.co.uk
FMB: MAKING HOMES MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT IS KEY
Making the UK’s homes more energy efficient will reduce energy bills, tackle the scourge of fuel poverty and help address the climate crisis
according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), in response to the speech by the Leader of the Liberal Democrats at its party
conference.
Sarah McMonagle from the FMB said: “The UK’s housing stock represents a significant contribution to our net carbon emissions and therefore the
Government must invest in making our homes more energy efficient, as pledged by Jo Swinson in her Leader’s speech today. The buildings in this
country are some of the oldest and leakiest in the world and therefore a programme of energy efficient upgrades would be a major step forward in
cutting carbon emissions overall. www.fmb.org.uk
84 TC OCTOBER 2019