The Social Housing sector is under significant pressure to meet the needs of a substantial number of people who require help with housing. Whether that be because of lower income with the cost of living increasing or people with specific housing needs.
We know that whilst plans are under way and funding has been allocated; housing associations and local authorities continue to need to maximise budgets to achieve their housing objectives. Organisations also need to ensure the goals are met alongside the delivery of quality homes that meet building regulations and the longer-term needs of tenants.
One key component in both the build of new affordable homes and the regeneration of existing developments, is insulation. To both meet immediate requirements and to achieve future efficiencies for the property and its tenants.
Building Affordable Homes
With UK Governments backing schemes to develop and provide more social housing, there is more need than ever to build well and plan for the future whilst managing projects cost effectively. Schemes include:
- The Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to 2021 committed to increase the supply of Shared Ownership and other affordable homes in England by March 2021
- The Affordable Housing Supply Programme in Scotland set out to deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes by 2021 backed by over £3 billion
- The Innovative Housing Programme in Wales which is funded by £29m over two years, seeks to stimulate the design and delivery of new quality, affordable homes
With this demand, any housing provider requires partners that are like minded individuals and reliable suppliers. Committed to building quality, safe, energy efficient homes for tenants means that budgets, resource and time scales need to be met by all parties of each project.
Whilst all buildings, social or private must meet Building Regulations and the correct standards for living, the need for sustainable housing is also a component for current projects. Both reducing the overall environmental impact during construction, but also with a view to encouraging continuous improvement.
The quality of the build is important. With the right thermal insulation, applied correctly, builders can achieve reduced energy bills for tenants which also helps to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. Then there is also the need for housing in many city spaces that have limited space. To make use of land economically, many construction sites are building flats and apartments which are in need of acoustic privacy. Noise can be a big issue in flats from neighbour’s both at the sides of the dwelling as well as above and below. Getting this right is vital for tenants’ well-being.
By building new homes that are not only affordable but are efficient, well planned and have high standards of components; housing providers can achieve a longer-term plan to addressing the housing needs of its tenants, cost effectively.
Regeneration of Homes
When it comes to the refurbishment of existing properties, transforming homes and bring housing up to much higher standards is the obvious goal. Making improvements to existing properties owned by housing associations or local authorities is already underway. Whether that is inhabited properties to improve standards of living or to revitalise housing which is no longer lived in and make better use of the housing stock already managed by that housing provider. Approaches include improvements to:
- Roof and lofts
- Cavity walls
- Floors
- Solid walls
- Draught-proofing of properties overall
- Damp and condensation problems
Efficiency in Housing Stock
As reported by The Guardian towards the end of last year, “The UK has the oldest building stock in Europe, and according to Eurostat data, one of the least energy efficient. There are 19 million homes in the UK with poor levels of energy efficiency – with a grade worse than a C on their energy performance certificate.
This has devastating consequences. The poor efficiency of our housing stock is the principal cause of high energy bills and the main cause of fuel poverty, with 4.5 million households struggling to pay their energy bills and facing the dire choice of having to heat or eat. It also means we are pumping out far more carbon emissions than we need to.
As well as replacing central heating systems, projects should also include investment in energy efficiency measures such as improvement in insulation to keep the heat in also needs to be in place to help reduce fuel poverty. For example, improving the external wall insulation on non-traditional properties should be made in conjunction with improvements to central heating.
Ultimately, the goal is tenant satisfaction and efficient living, easier long-term management/ maintenance and the overall improvement works to existing stock.
Let’s work together – Making homes ‘fit for the future’
We work with housing providers and construction organisations in this market to deliver fit for purpose solution, on time and to budget. As well as acoustic and thermal insulation, we also have a dedicated technical team who deliver the highest level of customer service possible; drawing upon a wealth of experience and training to provide assistance at every step of the build process. Technical support with insulation design advice, daylighting calculations, U-values and interstitial condensation calculations, thermal bridging assessments, SAP calculations, energy performance certificates and onsite training can also be provided. Whilst mandatory for Building Regulations, ensuring calculations are carried out early in the development allows us to also identify possible costs savings that can be made in the project
As well as delivering insulation solutions to the award winning Barratt Homes which is significantly involved in not only new build homes, but also the redevelopment of failing social housing estates, we have worked on projects for housing associations such as Genesis Housing Association where we delivered a resilient acoustic insulation solution for the floor which will last the lifetime of the building. As well as meeting the construction needs of the project:
- It exceeds the Approved Document Part E 17dB reduction requirement for soft coverings
- It is a simple installation.
- It has been tested by CERAM, SATRA and the British Carpet Technical Centre
Isorubber Top is also a sustainable product. It is made up of a composite of sustainably sourced, granulated cork and recycled waste rubber. It has a Global Warming Potential of Zero and an Ozone Depletion Potential of Zero. Isorubber Top provides a means of using problematic waste material to the benefit of the environment.
For another customer who is committed to building new, super energy efficient and sensibly priced homes, we helped them achieve their energy goals within budget. Using Platinum Ground Floor Insulation and Alreflex ThermaEdge as part of the builds, the projects achieved an average EPC rating of 94 and average yearly energy bill of just £313 per property (inclusive of lighting, heating and hot water)
At Thermal Economics, we are committed to achieving our customer’s objectives and find ways through our products and technical support teams to design solutions that meet regulatory needs, cost effectively.
If you would like to speak to us about thermal and acoustic insulation along with the technical support we can provide, please call one of our technical team on 01582 544255 or sales team on 01582 544256 who will be happy to help you with your enquiry.