INCA Case Study: Fletcher Street, Ripley, Derbyshire

CLIENT: Amber Valley Borough Council, Futures Housing Group

DURATION: 12 Months

SUMMARY OF WORKS

A collaboration project to install a combination of EWI, Cavity Wall, Loft and Solar across 92 properties.

Following a successful 2021 project to improve properties across the Borough of Amber Valley deemed to be energy inefficient or in a poor state of repair, Amber Valley Borough Council were granted an additional £720K from the Midlands Net Zero Hub to refurbish similar properties across a housing estate in Ripley, consisting of a mix of social and owner-occupied homes.

As the previous project had been so successful, Amber Valley Borough Council once again utilised the services of Westville, who worked closely with Futures Housing Group. Under the terms of the funding process, 101 properties were identified as eligible for improvements. Working together, information letters were sent informing residents of the potential benefits and funding opportunities available to improve their properties. Futures Housing Group reassured their tenants that Westville was a credible company to carry out the work, adding confidence to the take-up offering. This collaborative approach resulted in an incredible take up of 92 properties (91%), each receiving the benefits of EWI and loft insulation.

WORK CARRIED OUT, TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND CHALLENGES

Ninety-two properties received the benefits of the Wetherby Epsiwall External Wall Insulation System, utilising 90mm enhanced EPS insulation boards. The insulation process included adding layers of Alkali resistant scrim cloth incorporated into Heck K&A Scrim adhesive to achieve a smooth flat surface ready to receive the final finishing coats. These included a combination of 1.5mm textured render and WBS Brick Effect Render, which contrasted the textured finished areas.

The nature of the properties meant we also had to create roofline extensions and insulate them to PAS 2035:2019 standards to prevent any cold bridging. This involved locating several types of roof tiles to match each archetype.

During the work, a major problem occurred with how power lines were laid to the properties. This required assistance from Western Power.

Unfortunately, Westville discovered an unexpected change in lead times compared to their previous experience working with Western Power in other areas. This threatened to push the programme back by around seven weeks as Western Power struggled to accommodate within the project timescale. As negotiations were moving slowly, David Arkle from AVBC offered his assistance and contacted the local leadership team at Western Power. During discussions, he explained the significance of this work and its impact on the local community, resulting in a new process being implemented. This eradicated the delay and allowed the scheme to commence as initially planned, reinforcing the importance of collaborative working.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

• The U-Value of the properties refurbished was 3.31 pre-insulation. Following EWI insulation, they are now 0.30. A significant reduction.
• Interstitial Condensation and Evaporation were above 90 per month GC during the winter months, and this has now reduced to 0.00 following EWI Installation.
• EPC ratings for each property have improved by two levels, saving energy, and reducing carbon emissions.
• Aesthetically, a total transformation of the properties can be seen, and residents are delighted with the results.
• The recognised success of this phase of the project led to Amber Valley Borough Council receiving an increased capital allocation of 1.3 million pounds from Midlands Net Zero Hub, £580,000 more than the original £720,000 agreed.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Based on Energy Saving Trust calculation parameters, we estimate that the impact of the work carried out at Ripely on resident’s energy bills and carbon emissions equates to:

• Total combined energy bill saving of around £49,680 per annum – (£540 per property) *
• Total combined CO2 reduction each year 83.7 tonnes – (910kg per property) *

Source for savings: * https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solid-wall-insulation/

Calculation based on EWI applied 92 semi-detached properties in Ripley.

PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS:
Environmental impact was very much a focus of this project. Key criteria included working on a concentrated community-by-community basis instead of targeting multiple properties across whole districts: this considerably reduced travel time and fuel usage.

Futures Housing Group stepped up and offered compounds locally to store materials. This meant products could be ordered and delivered in bulk instead of multiple runs, once again reducing transportation carbon omissions.

COMMENTS

“Really pleased. I’ve noticed a real difference in how much I have to put the heating on. Before the insulation was fitted, my bedroom used to be very cold on the gable end, and now, it needs no extra heat from my electric heaters. I’m also very pleased with how everything looks; it’s made a huge difference.”

Mrs Miller – 48 Fletcher St