Retrospect Consultancy Ltd, who are Welsh based retrofit installation specialists and accredited members of the ecmk Retrofit Assessor and Coordinator schemes, have piloted a ‘never been done before’ external wall insulation (EWI) innovation.
This innovation was brought about to solve a problem that social landlord North Wales Housing faced, which was the need to insulate the external walls of an early 1900s Gwynedd home, built from stone and lime render, whilst being able to meet building regulations for traditional properties.
Supported by the Welsh Government, this is the first ever known project to use Enviroform Aerogel as an external wall insulation system. Aerogel was first developed in the 1930s for spacecraft and since become more widely used in the mainstream for commercial purposes. The outstanding properties of Aerogel including its low density, superior thermal insulation and exceptional fire-retardancy makes it an excellent choice of material to use in the retrofit of older buildings.
ecmk was invited to visit the site in November to get a closer look at the installation works. ‘It’s been a really interesting project and we’re proud to be the accreditation body overseeing the assessment and coordination. This unique approach, using space-age material to insulate a 1900s stone wall property, whilst preserving its traditional architecture, is the first of its kind. The team at Retrospect are leading the way on retrofit innovation and demonstrating successful collaboration at its very best. Visiting the site has been a fantastic opportunity to learn more and speak directly to installers on the ground.”
Michael Robson, Managing Director at Retrospect Consultancy Ltd added: “This property presented a significant challenge, as there is no current system designer for this product. However, we were able to amalgamate two current suppliers who have worked closely together to create a new system with the intention of officially taking it to market.”
On the back of the pilot project, there is hope that through further funding, this new method of external wall insulation (EWI) can be taken to mass market. Reduced manufacturing costs through scalable production, will make it a more viable system to use on the retrofit of older buildings and ultimately improve energy efficiency and the lives of occupants who live in traditional properties.
For more details about this project, please contact Retrospect Consultancy Ltd
Michael Robson, Managing Director – michael@retrospectltd.co.uk