Regulator confirms Bord Gáis price increase

Gas prices are set to increase on 1st October 2011. Meanwhile the government are playing the energy saving / job creating card and we roll over and accept that we have no alternative but to stump up the extra – where from?

The much heralded pay as you save scheme from our energy suppliers is set to replace the Home Energy Scheme – in 2014!!

Another year has past since the idea was floated and another winter is upon us, yes the Home Energy Scheme was a good start, but the pay as you save schemes should be in place now – stop talking about it and show some leadership.

Duratherm stabilises Waste Transfer Station roof

The Client:

Norfolk Environmental Waste Services (NEWS), Caister Transfer Station.

The Problem:

The Waste Transfer Centre is a large building with a fibre cement roof cladding that is 11.4m above the ground with a surface area in excess of 1200m². Because it is near the coast, in high winds the roofing panels move and in certain instances they have cracked and had to be replaced. This was adding up in very significant maintenance bills.

The Solution:

NEWS decided to have Duratherm® applied to all the corrugated roofing sheets and purlins, in order to strengthen the roof, minimise on going roof repair costs and extend the life of this building – highly important to local environmental management.

 The Outcome

“NEWS had to continually repair the roof of the Transfer Station at a cost of £3000 a time because of the height, equipment required and the need to meet stringent Health and Safety requirements when the work took place. The work was completed to schedule over 3 weekends with no downtime to our operation

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The Client:

Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council: Millennium Bridge.
Main Contractor:

Harbour & General.
Flotation Unit Manufacturer:

Bellyou Trading & Contracting.
The Problem:

A unique engineering challenge for a unique bridge – how to float the booms that guide ships through the passable centre span of the bridge that ‘opens’ like an eye.
The Solution:

Armour-Flex polyurea elastomer was used to encapsulate closed cell Thermadek 40 rigid PU foam onto steel collar flotation units. These collars float just below the surface because of the foam content, and rise and fall on piles with the water level, carrying the booms in the correct position on the surface.
The Outcome: The use of fast setting spray foam and fast setting polyurea coating enabled rapid production of these critical units. A 60-year design life is anticipated, and the units have stood up well so far in the 10 years since installation, including surviving freak flood events with heavy flotsam, due to the tough Armour-Flex coating.

Insulation & Stabilisation with Technitherm®

The Client:

Redbridge Homes – The Whitings, Oaks Lane, Ilford.

The Problem:
This 61-unit tower block was suffering from no cavity wall insulation and severe wall tie failure problems, which gave Redbridge Homes constant issues with the repair and maintenance of this Grade II listed building.

The Solution:
Technitherm® was chosen to be injected into the cavity walls rather than other alternative systems, as the polyurethane closed cell rigid foam insulation technology would fully bond both inner and outer walls together, giving a single composite wall structure far stronger than the original, metal wall tied walls. Liquid injected Technitherm® also fully insulated the whole building more effectively, due to its low thermal conductivity values. All works were completed from the outside of the building in just 8 weeks (including scaffolding), so the tenants were able to remain in their homes with no internal interference.

The Outcome:
Fully funded via SHESP, and future-proofed for many years to come, The Whitings block is now fully insulated helping all of its residents save money on heating bills, and giving a more comfortable living environment, whilst the structural stabilisation quality of Technitherm® will eliminate any further costly wall tie maintenance issues for Redbridge Homes.

Isothane Ltd successfully insulates 762 “Hard to Treat” Homes in Rochdale with Technitherm®

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) recently completed the insulation and upgrade of the cavity walls of 762 apartments in the College Bank flats, using Technitherm® Cavity Insulation.

Technitherm®, manufactured by Isothane Ltd, is an innovative cavity insulation material specifically designed for refurbishment of existing buildings that have technical issues preventing traditional insulation materials being used.

These College Bank flats, built between 1965 and 1967, were classified by Rochdale Housing as “Hard to Treat” because of the narrow width of the cavity and the structural problems caused by failing wall ties. Because they are hard to treat the apartments could not be insulated with traditional types of insulation so the tenants lived in draughty apartments with high heating bills and RBH, concerned about tenant comfort and reducing carbon emissions, also had high maintenance costs as the corroding wall ties needed regular maintenance.

Technitherm® was selected by RBH because it combines a very high insulation value with structural adhesive properties and draught-proofs the walls once installed. It solves three problems in one by insulating, stabilising and draught-proofing in one operation. And as the work is carried out from outside the building there is no need to move the tenants out and costs of disruption are minimal.

Following a detailed survey and inspection of the High Rise Blocks,  a BBA and Isothane approved Technitherm® Installer, were appointed by RBH to install Technitherm® into the College Bank flats.

An additional bonus for RBH was that they were able to extend their maintenance cycles at the site and save costs.

In total around 488 tonnes of carbon will be saved each year from these insulated apartments, and the tenants will benefit from warmer, draught-proof homes with significantly lower energy bills.

RBH Senior Surveying Technician, Steve Hughes, said:

“Using Technitherm® on these flats will enable us to significantly extend our maintenance cycles at the site as the buildings will stay looking smart and inviting for years. Aside from the financial benefits this gives our tenants, it will also help to give our tenants more pride in their community and we hope their quality of life will subsequently be improved”.

Isothane launch the Quality Installer Scheme for in-situ PUR insulation

                                                    

Isothane Ltd, a Sunday Times International Track 100 company and market leaders for in-situ PUR insulation systems, have launched a Quality Installer Scheme to ensure that clients continue to receive the highest possible quality of installation of Technitherm® BBA cert 97/3426 and Duratherm® BBA cert 10/4771 insulation systems.

The Quality Installer Scheme recognises the excellent quality of the installers of Technitherm® and Duratherm®, many of whom have been installers for over 15 years, whilst at the same time recognises the extra requirements from the Hard to Treat Homes sector of the market.

The growth in the insulation market for Hard to Treat Homes is meaning that more specialised operatives are needed and extra training for these, plus refresher training for the existing installers, has been running for over 6 months now.

An additional service that has been introduced because of market demand is the demonstration of Technitherm® and Duratherm® at Isothane for clients, who are able to see the product being applied in a typical application and judge for themselves how Technitherm® or Duratherm® would be applicable to their particular project.

Joint site-visits, including the installer and Isothane technical staff, are also available to clients to ensure that all questions specific to the project can be answered thoroughly.

Both Technitherm® and Duratherm® carry a 25-year insurance-backed warranty when installed by one of the many national installers who are members of the Quality Installer Scheme.

The Quality Installers for Ireland are Permagreen Insulation.

Contact John Roche on 021 429 7438 for more information

Agrispray Case Study

Anti-condensation insulation for warehouses

Case Study

The Client: owners and managers of crop stores and livestock barns.

The Problem: to insulate and control condensation issues in agricultural storage buildings, with cost, installation issues, and durability in mind. These steel or fibre cement clad buildings can pose an installation nightmare for many types of insulation products, due to fixing issues, condensation control problems, access issues, and lengthy installation times. Additionally, with conventional insulation products, the overall quality of the installation can be brought into
question. None butted and unsealed gaps between these materials can prove to be a significant contributor to air leakage, condensation build up, and lack of thermal performance.

The Solution: with a single application of Agrispray® to the required thickness, it resolves problems associated with these other insulation products. The closed cell structure of Agrispray®, gives optimum thermal performance to the building, along with direct speedy application to the roof and wall surfaces, without the requirement for any insulation fixings. (A VCL to control interstitial condensation may sometimes be necessary and we can advise on each project.) This seamless application guarantees that there are no gaps for heat escape, and in turn no formation of condensation on the cladding surfaces. Agrispray® can also be painted to suit the client’s requirements.

The Outcome: a seamless, fully insulated and protected building, suitable for various forms of crops and farm animal storage, is completed in less than half the time, compared with other insulation systems, and should last for the lifetime of the building.

Protect Your Home for Winter 2011

Winter 2010 marked one of the harshest seasons on record to date and our homes took the brunt of the damage. According to experts, these weather patterns are a part of our future therefore it’s time that we take necessary steps to protect our home against burst pipes, heating loss, and high energy costs. Here’s our guide to protecting your home for the harsh winters ahead….

• Insulate any plumbing pipes that are exposed to the harsh outdoor weather. This will help to prevent them from freezing and bursting
• Make your home airtight – start by looking for obvious gaps in the external walls of the house which cause air leakage and draughts. Uncontrolled air leakage contributes to over 30% of the heat loss in your home
• Use weather-stripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home, and mastic seal your windows
• Attic insulation is critical – snow staying on the roof is not an old wives tale – melting snow equals heat loss
• Don’t rush into buying inferior insulation for your cavity walls. Check out using pumped polyurethane foam from a qualified installer – make sure the foam carries a BBA or IAB certification for use in cavities
• A good option is to carry out an air tightness test by a qualified engineer, who will collate a full report on all areas of your home that are leaking air. Make sure that they both pressurise and depressurise and ask the engineer to use a smoke pencil or smoke machine to show you the leakage paths
• Replace worn roof tiles and slates or consider talking to a specialist spray foam installer to secure your roof whilst improving insulation

For advice on any of these tips just call us now on (021) 429 7432 or visit our website www.permagreen.ie

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