Combined Executive Agenda 120410.pdf - North Ayrshire Council

2.7 The fabric of new-build housing is designed to current standards of
thermal efficiency and principles of sustainability are incorporated into
these projects. However, newly or very recently built units will form a
very small minority of the entire housing stock and so upgrading of the
fabric of the existing dwellings is currently ongoing. This is applied to
three elements of the building structure:
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Replacing single glazed windows with double glazed units which
have thermally efficient uPVC frames. 87% of homes have double
glazing;
Insulation to loft spaces, 99.92% of homes have loft insulation ;
Insulation to walls, this has normally been by cavity fill where the
construction allows, but on housing of non-traditional construction,
or where cavity width is inadequate, external insulation render is
applied. This allows the dew point (point at which condensation
occurs) to be closer to the exterior of the construction and keeps
more of the building fabric on the "warm" side of the insulation.
2.9 There are 263 timber non-traditional properties where timber or uPVC
weather boarding may be used for suitability of appearance and to
allow ventilation to the original timber external walls. Some structural
up-grading, such as remedial wall ties or additional pinning may be
required prior to the application of external render systems.
Private Housing
2.10 The Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS) is a central
government grant targeted for specific areas of high fuel poverty. It is
available to private owners and private sector rented properties. It
offers free loft and cavity wall insulation, as well as providing an
Energy Advocacy Service to all householders. The Council's Energy
Team submits grant applications and work with Solas Scotland. In
2011/12, £370,000 was awarded to North Ayrshire which was
matched by Carbon Emission Reductions Target Funding.
Stevenston was the targeted area in 2010/11 and Irvine in 2011/12.
Due to lower than anticipated projects in 2011/12 unspent funds of
£102,000 have been allocated to the Saltcoats high flats project.
2.11 A bid for UHIS funding for 2012/13, covering the whole of North
Ayrshire, has been confirmed at a value of £440,000. This is not
location-specific in this bidding round.
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