Despite the package of 2017 Budget housing measures seeking to stimulate the house building industry, there is still the thorny problem of energy efficiency with new homes routinely overstating how warm they will be, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times and Lord Deben, chairman of the government’s committee on climate change.

However, one South West based entrepreneur has come up with a novel solution to improve wall insulation. The use of a technologically innovative product called SureCav25, designed for cavity wall construction, not only greatly reduces wall width, but also provides the option to increase insulation thickness and lower U-values.

Charlie Ayers, inventor and developer of SureCav50 and SureCav25 says, “Our product can help to address Lord Debden’s fears that this week’s budget will see the chancellor’s incentives to construction kick-start a boom dominated by shoddy, energy-inefficient homes.”

Ayers continues, “More people than ever are switching to SureCav25 as they now realise they are no longer tied to a 50mm clear cavity. With a full BBA certificate, SureCav25, made from 100% recycled polypropylene, is designed to allow for a 25mm consistent air space. Furthermore, this 25mm cavity is protected from mortar and wind-driven rain using SureCav25, which forms a wall of plastic, protecting the fabric of the building.

To achieve lower U-Values, more and more insulation is being inserted into the cavity. Coupled with the former way of building with stone i.e. having to construct a block backing wall, the resulting wall width could be as much as 470mm or more, depending on the thickness of insulation chosen.

Figure 2 demonstrates that by removing the block backing wall and instead, using SureCav25 as the cavity spacer and backing system, the wall thickness is reduced by 125mm – a significant space saving, either allowing more internal room space or reducing the overall footprint of the dwelling. This then becomes the ideal solution in achieving a U-Value as low as 0.17W/m2K using a 75mm wide insulation board in conjunction with SureCav25 forming the 25mm clear residual cavity. Add more insulation and lower the
U-Values even further.

This feature of SureCav25, in maintaining a perfectly consistent, clean and moisture-free clear cavity, opens the way for a brick outer leaf to be specified. Ordinarily, it would not be possible to keep the cavity clean with just a 25mm gap. Now however, with SureCav25, the wall can be built with full confidence as SureCav25 is the only building product permitted by LABC and NHBC that allows a 25mm residual cavity – the perfect solution with a brick outer leaf!

SureCav is sold throughout the UK and is currently used by a number of major housing developers including Taylor Wimpey, Redrow, Barratt Homes, Linden Homes, Persimmon Homes and Bloor Homes. Developers use it, not least because of the gaining of up to 7.6% extra floor space which now becomes available thanks to the fact that 100mm concrete backing blocks are no longer required. It is also a quicker, cheaper build with a saving of up to £15 per square metre against the cost of using backing blocks.

For more information about SureCav, visit: www.surecav.co.uk or Tel: 01963 34660 or E/: info@surecav.co.uk

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