Innovation for Sustainable Retrofit

We know the stats:
• the housing stock in the UK is amongst the oldest in Europe.

• approximately 3.5 million occupied homes were not suitable and did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2020, with 4% having serious damp issues[1].

• 32% of category 1 hazards are for excess cold[2].

And yet, these issues are still affecting the health of tenants living in social housing.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 was introduced to give greater legal protection to tenants, including new consumer standards and a regular inspections regime. This includes landlords ensuring that the homes they provide are fit for habitation and are free from serious hazards, including damp and mould.

As we look forward to the better weather of the approaching summer, it is only right that the expectation for next winter and beyond should be that that every person can live in a home that is safe, warm, and dry.

Innovation in Retrofit
There are many remedial solutions for excess cold, and damp and mould. Some of these are simply short-term fixes, but there are many innovative and sustainable products that provide long-term solutions. There are often barriers around the specification of these solutions, so building strong relationships is key to using innovation to solve the retrofit problems faced within UK social housing.

SprayCork, from CorkSol UK, is a sustainable and eco-friendly sprayed cork coating for walls and ceilings that can eliminate penetrating damp and condensation forming on surfaces. It is an extremely thin coating, applied at 4-6mm with 2mm skim, which also increases the energy efficiency of the property, providing tenants a healthy and safe space to live, and peace of mind to the landlord.

Thanks to its application, the spray applied material creates a continuous barrier which eliminates the risk of cold bridging. And as the system improves air tightness, it helps to improve the thermal performance of the property and makes it warmer as more heat is retained within the property.

This makes SprayCork an ideal solution for hard-to-treat properties that suffer from poor energy efficiency, excess heat loss, and black spot mould.

In addition, the thin layer at which the product is applied makes it perfect for:
• Small rooms and tight spaces where thicker layers cause unacceptable reduction in room size.

• Properties with historic internal architectural details, which should not be concealed behind thick layers of insulation for conservation reasons.

• Properties on a tight budget, who do not want the extra cost, time and hassle of repositioning services such as electrical points and radiators.

Many of the same solutions are used every year with very little change in the outcomes. It is crucial now that we embrace innovation as the way to provide long-term retrofit solutions. CorkSol are working with a number of social housing providers, helping them meet their retrofit and net zero targets on a wide range of properties, using an innovative, sustainable, and natural material. Innovation is here, and now is the time to embrace it.

If you’d like to learn more, then contact us to discuss the issues you have with you housing portfolio and how SprayCork can solve these. Alternatively, to learn more about the dangers of mould and how SprayCork eliminates the problem, why not attend our new CPD course focused on Black Spot Mould. It can be delivered remotely or on-site by our Specification Sales Manager, James Erskine. This course looks at the causes and associated risks of black spot mould, along with some of the methods of treatment. If you would like to participate on the course or discuss how SprayCork can help solve mould problems within your housing portfolio, then contact us on 01484 442420.

www.corksoluk.com

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1088447/EHS_Housing_quality_and_condition_report_2020.pdf
[2] https://files.bregroup.com/research/BRE_Report_the_cost_of_poor_housing_2021.pdf

Images © CorkSol