External wall insulation for refurbishment
weber.therm XP provides an attractive and thermally efficient answer to solid wall housing refurbishment and has contributed significantly to the overall success of this project – around 40% of the properties in this area are currently being refurbished with the system.
Thermal efficiency is greatly improved for those properties that are being refurbished with weber.therm XP. Phenolic insulation boards of 60mm thickness are fitted onto the original brick external walls and with the mesh cloth bonded into the external render for added strength, dramatic u-value improvements have been obtained. The existing construction gave a u-value of 2.90W/m2K but following the application of weber.therm XP this was slashed to a u-value of 0.32Wm2K, a remarkable and welcome reduction of heat loss for the residents.
“The speed and versatility of the weber.therm XP system over traditional multi-coat systems helps us keep this busy programme ahead of schedule and contributes substantially to the efficiency of the overall project,“ says Phillip Bristow, Housing Renewal Officer for EYRC. Unlike traditional multi-coat systems Weber’s expertise in mineral renders has resulted in a one-coat, through-coloured mineral render which can be applied directly to all major insulation types.
The mineral, through-coloured, one-coat render finishes available with weber.therm XP are contributing to the visual enhancement of the area, to the delight of the householders. Residents are given a choice from a palette of five pastel colours, a selection which sit happily together in terraced properties. The added attraction of these through coloured renders is that they are low maintenance requiring little or no cleaning over time.
Mrs Violet Teale has lived in Cecil Street for more than 40 years and is delighted with the new aspects of her home. ”My first choice of colour was the blue, it’s my namesake really! Already I can feel that the house is warmer and I feel more secure too.”
The Goole “Changing Streets” scheme is a housing regeneration project launched to fund badly needed improvements to 53 complete streets of over 2000 pre-1919 solid wall, private sector terraced homes. Improvements include the use of Weber external wall insulation systems; replacement windows and doors; new fascia and guttering and new boundary walls and railings.
A pilot scheme of more than 100 properties on four streets determined that the weber.therm XP system would be used for the regeneration project. The benefits of the system were demonstrated early in this extensive project when the application contractor, Ray Clough of Lloyd Clough & Sons, offered to renovate the well-regarded local charity shop originated by the late Olive Hunt, MBE, which has raised over £500,000 for local causes. It was with the charity shop that Ray Clough was able to demonstrate the speed of application of the weber.therm XP system following the pilot scheme in which an alternative traditional multi-coat render proved substantially slower in application and drying capability.
“The speed at which we can install the weber.therm XP has significant impact on the reduction of on-site hours and other factors, such as the cost of scaffolding hire on site,” continues Ray. Being a one-coat system there is no waiting for a base coat to dry and the material can be applied by machine pump making the application the most economical in the industry. “And being able to minimise disruption to tenants is a prime consideration,” says Ray
The entire project has been an excellent example of real “partnership” co-operation led by the Housing Renewal Team of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Interserve Project Services, one of the Council’s main framework contractor and a group of specialist building service contractors who formed a close-knit partnership with a strong “can do” ethic. Equally, close communication has been maintained with all residents and, additionally, commercial premises owners in the target streets. Consultation meetings, project displays and resident briefings have resulted in a 99% take-up of the plan.
Simon Woods has been managing the project team and praises the supplier partnership that has matured quickly to undertake greater numbers of renovations. “The weber.therm XP system takes just three days per property, one to board out the insulation, one to render and one to scrape back the finish. It enables me to move the schedule capacity up to meet the Council’s expectations.”
Phillip Bristow, Housing Renewal Officer for ERYC, comments that resident reaction is very, very positive: “Everyone is very happy with the render appearance and choice of colours and the instantaneous improvement in warmth provided by the insulation is music to our ears.”
So strong have been the results that further funding from the Regional Housing Board and the Humber Partnership Group has been agreed and the programme advanced to cover more homes. 450 properties will have been refurbished during 2008-09. It is projected that half of the 53 streets identified may well be completed ahead of the 2011 schedule.
Weber’s range of services includes not only full technical advice and support but also assistance in securing funding for solid wall insulation schemes through either the current CERT programme or the forthcoming CESP initiative targeted at low income communities with a high concentration of ‘hard-to-treat’ homes.