Spray applied insulation

CorkSol the sustainable coatings specialist, has recently forged a new alliance with established social housing provider, Together Housing.
With public and media scrutiny at an all-time high, Together Housing are looking for ways to enhance the energy efficiency of their properties and protect them against cold, damp and mould. If left untreated, this can cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks and serious, life-threatening respiratory illnesses, so by effectively treating the problems, homes are made more comfortable, warmer
and safer.

There are a number of issues that come about from the fact that nearly 80% of homes in England are over 40 years old1 – and it is forecast that 80% of our existing building stock will still be in use in 20502!

The most common issues include condensation and damp, draughts, and excessive cold brought on by a lack of insulation which makes heating systems work harder for more money and less warmth. This leads many people to pay for wasted energy – which they struggle to afford as we continue to experience a cost of living crisis. According to the English Housing Survey 2022-23, over a quarter of tenants struggled to pay rent in both the private and social housing sectors3, so it is crucial that their property is energy efficient and air tight so they are able to retain heat within their property.

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

Invicta Construction Finishes, a member of the CorkSol Independent Approved Applicator Network, have worked with North Yorkshire Council on a number of their social housing properties.

CorkSol were approached by Together Housing, providers of social housing, with a portfolio of over 37,000 properties. Some of these are hard to treat properties, requiring sustainable solutions to solve a range of problems whilst working towards their Net Zero targets.

The UK has some of the oldest housing in Europe, with approximately 20% of current dwellings built before 1919 – that equates to about 5.8 million homes in the UK that are over 100 years old. And, using data1 to 2017, 17% of the current housing stock has been built since 1990. That means that roughly 23.6 million homes across the country were built over 30 years ago.

Britain has an existing housing stock that is the oldest in Europe. And this means that many properties don’t have any insulation – in fact, only about 50% have cavity or solid wall insulation.
Heat loss in a house happens faster in poorly insulated homes. So with no insulation, the existing stock of houses aren’t as energy efficient as they could, and should, be.
It’s generally considered that about 35% of heat lost is through the walls, and 25% is through the roof. The lack of insulation means that cold, external walls are the chief culprit for heat loss because, without adequate insulation, they don’t keep heat inside the home, which makes it harder to maintain a comfortable temperature and causes energy bills to rise as thermostats are turned up higher and are left on for longer. And with the majority of heating systems being reliant upon fossil fuels, not only do energy bills increase but the impact on the planet is also significant.