Let’s talk EPC 4.

Tibor Rigo Blog 01/03/201617/03/2016Building Extensions, Building refurbishment, Flat Refurbishment, House extension, Loft Conversions, Loft insulation, mould removal, sprayed foam insulation 1 Comment

How to improve your home’s EPC rating

In the previous part we talked about what important pieces of information we can learn from a property’s EPC certificate. If you have read all 3 previous parts of this article series, by now you are aware that a building’s EPC rating does not necessarily depend on the age of the building or when it was last refurbished.

How can you turn your house into a healthy, economical, energy efficient home, or how can you make nearly double the profit when selling your property?

As we said in the previous part, a property’s market value can be increased by approx. 15-20% by refurbishing it (regardless of its EPC improvement). Taken into account the invested amount (the cost of the refurbishment) one will realise a profit of 6-8%; in some cases this may be as high as 10%.

Below you can see some of the added benefits of economical refurbishment:

Healthy building, (mould-free environment – can mean 10 extra years)
Economical operation of the building, you can save up to 50% on utility bills
Better EPC rating means another 8-15% increase in the market value – this can almost be converted into profit completely (total profit after economical refurbishment: 16-18%)
Reduced carbon footprint (less energy required) – environmentally friendly building
Increased comfort level
The property will be on higher demand, will sell quicker, easier
A well-planned scheduled refurbishment means saving time and money – a highly profitable investment that creates additional value

The increase in the EPC rating can be predicted when the refurbishment process is planned thoroughly, consciously.

The main steps are:

On-site inspection, diagnostics
Energetic calculations, project preparation, implementation schedule
Strict supervision in implementation, daily documented progress
Quality checked materials and technologies
Attention to deadlines
Accountability upon and after completion – even for the structure
Ordering new EPC certificate from independent firm
Repeated survey (if required), even for control purposes

As always, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or just feel like sharing your thoughts.

(Quote the following code in your enquiry and we grant you a 10% discount of the price of your next project! NLTE4)

Let’s talk EPC 3.

Tibor Rigo Blog 19/02/201617/03/2016Building Extensions, Building refurbishment, Flat Refurbishment, Flooring, kill the mould, Loft Conversions, Surface Heating System 4 Comments

EPC rating in relation to comfort level

First of all, let me thank you for showing your interest in this rather dry but absolutely vital topic. EPC rating cannot be ignored during today’s energy prices and pollution.

Is your house due for a renovation? Would you like to make it cosier?
Would you like to sell your house quicker with bigger profit?
Or you have just purchased one, and you would like to redecorate it prior to moving in?

If you are in any of the above three groups, you should definitely keep reading.

Everybody knows that renovating a house will increase its value (if done properly). Depending on its location and the quality of the material used during the refurbishment project, a property’s market value can go up by an average 15-20%. We can safely say that two adjacent, similar-sized houses (one of which has just been refurbished) will sell with a minimum difference of 15% in price. If the renovation included a heating system upgrade as well, your EPC rating may go up by a few points, but the house is likely to remain at the same EPC level. It is because this change has not been done purposefully to improve the EPC rating, it just so happened to improve it. The amount invested in the refurbishment will not bring the desired improvement in EPC rating. For example EPC 68, the score mentioned in our previous article, can be increased by 5-6 points only by having an upgraded heating system. With that, we can achieve Level C rating in EPC, but other main features of the building have not been changed, so the building is still uneconomical. The only difference is, now it is uneconomical with a modern heating system installed.

A modern, economical heating system should be the solution to all these problems, wouldn’t you say? After turning on the heating, the house should get warm quicker, and the fact that the unheated areas of the house (lounge, hall, kitchen, etc.) get cold during the night should not bother us at all. Isn’t that right?

What one probably does not realise while staying inside the house: a significant part of the heating energy escapes through the poorly insulated walls, floors (remember, we are talking about a house with level C or D EPC rating) – this is very uneconomical.
No matter how efficient your heating system is, because of the high humidity and the damp cold walls, mould will appear in the corners. Your home is a little more modern now, but it is still an unhealthy environment.
Most of our customers wanted us to look into the following issues: draught (around the windows even “through” the walls, but most commonly through the floors) they can feel the chilly effects of the cold wind inside their houses. This happens because of the ventilated flooring. This system is still used today, although it is a faulty concept.

A modern heating system on its own is not able to tackle the above mentioned issues. Now you have a nicely refurbished home, with a fairly modern heating system that still does not provide the comfort level you are after.

Unfortunately these factors that ruin the comfort level are present in the new properties as well. It is very hard to face the fact, for new property owners that even though they have just purchased a new home, they will still need to invest more money into it in order to turn it into a cosy home.

Before you purchase a new house or flat make sure to check its EPC diagram. It will tell you everything you need to know about the building (energy efficiency-wise). If the rating is below 75, you can be almost certain that you shall live with mould. And no, painting will not solve the problem. The problem originates from the structure of the house. Even if your EPC score is between 75-85 you are likely to have mould in your house. Poor ventilation, cold surfaces and the ever present humidity, together can result in mould occurrence.

It can be very upsetting when in order to resolve all of these issues, one needs to spend an extra 8-10% of the price of a recently purchased property.

Ask for our expert advice, calculate and you will see, it will be worth investing money in order to save money. When it came to valuable properties, it used to be location, location, location. Now, it is more like EPC, EPC, EPC.

It is still not the end, in our next article we will talk about why it is important to carry out diagnostics prior to purchasing a property and how to solve all these issues related to poor EPC rating.

To be continued…

(Quote the following code in your enquiry and we grant you a 10% discount of the price of your next project! NLTE3)

Let’s talk EPC 1.

EcoPropi Ltd. Blog 09/02/201617/03/2016Building Extensions, Building refurbishment, Infra Heating, Loft insulation, mould removal, sprayed foam insulation 11 Comments

What does EPC mean?

In this article we will try to help you understand what EPC means furthermore what it means in regards to your property. It is the mandatory document that goes with every property sale; EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate.

It basically shows you how economical a building is. But what does it tell you exactly?

It is a classification that is based on a pre-determined scale (A – G, “A” being the most economical category). The categories are determined by direct measurable factors and indirect calculations.

The two most important factors are:

The measure of energy required to maintain a certain temperature inside the building
The thermal storage capacity of the building (calculated from its physical features)

These two factors are absolutely independent from one another. We can maintain 20°C in a room by either

Little usage of the heating system, but in a building with excellent thermal storage capacity
Or with massive energy consumption (constant heating) in a poorly insulated building

In both cases we would be sitting in a 20°C – room; so the result would be the same, yet what a difference in the energy consumption.

But the biggest difference is this: Let’s assume we turn down the heating in the living room for the night. In the first case (well-insulated room, excellent thermal storage capacity, high EPC ranking), not only, will the air remain a pleasant 20°C in the morning, but also all the solid objects (floor, walls, furniture, etc.) will not get cold. Whereas in the second case (poor insulation, poor thermal storage capacity, poor EPC ranking), we will definitely need a sweater till we have our first tea in the morning.

We are yet to highlight all the financial benefits that you can enjoy by having an economical home, with high EPC ranking. You can read about the costs of such an investment and the break-even time in our next article. Also we will explain the meaning of the different categories, e.g. what it means to have a home that is classed “D” in its Energy Performance Certificate.

In the meantime browse through our website for more interesting articles about insulation and heating technology, or contact us with any questions you may have.

To be continued…

(Quote the following code in your enquiry and we grant you a 10% discount of the price of your next project! NLTE1)

Advantages of steel frame building structure

EcoPropi Ltd. Blog 04/02/201617/03/2016Bricklayer Jobs, Building Extensions, Building refurbishment, Concrete Blocks, sprayed foam insulation 4 Comments

Lightweight steel frame structure building system

When customers plan to build a new house, or extend their existing one, our focus is always on satisfying their requirements. We examine their ideas of the number and the sizes of the rooms and their practicality. After thorough discussions, having learnt as much as possible about their needs, we recommend the most suitable materials. Choosing the right structural system is one of the most technical and most vital part of designing a house, therefore taking a professional’s guidance on this topic is indispensable. It is the engineer’s responsibility to make sure that the recommended technology suits your needs the best. Here are some of the numerous advantages of lightweight steel frame structure over the traditional brick or timber structure.

Easy planning, excellent dimensional accuracy
Allows to implement bespoke designs
Pre-fabricated and pre-cut elements – fast and accurate feasibility
Standard and customised profile sizes and shapes
Uniform material quality
Lightweight structure, cheaper delivery
Slimmer elements, slimmer walls, bigger net space
Better sound and temperature insulation quality
Straight walls, perfect right angle corners, covered pipes
Ideal building structure to use with our spray foam insulation system
Results in EPC level B, A or A+ with warranty

(Quote the following code in your enquiry and we grant you a 10% discount of the price of your next project! NSFBS)

Services

EcoPropi Ltd. Service 02/12/201514/04/2016Bath, Bricklayer Jobs, Building Extensions, Concrete Blocks, Decorations, Drive, Electrical and Drinage Service, Extensions, Facade Ren, Flat Refurbishment, Flooring, Garage, Heat Pump, Infra Heating, Loft Conversions, Loft insulation, New Roofing and Repairs, Painting, Paving, Pergolas, Plasterboard, Plastering, Plumbing, Stone works, Tilling 2 Comments

How EcoPropi can help you

From designing a house to the last finishing touches, EcoPropi Ltd. will have the solution for all your needs. We offer some of the newest construction technologies, engineering solutions that are yet to become widely known or common.

Let it be a minor modification or a major refurbishment project, we will plan and prepare it, supply the materials, and complete the work with the utmost care, making sure that you will be happy with the result. In order to make the refurbishment work last and make the house economical, we will have to be prepared to deal with unexpected issues as well right from the start of the refurbishment (additional insulation, waterproofing, engineering and electrical works).

3D Design

Family semi-detached house - services 3D design

We will plan the stairs, footways, terraces, pergolas, flower stand, pavement, etc. We also put the garden furniture on the realistic 3D plans and consult with you regarding the colours. We will plan the connection between the exterior and interior, the layout of the new bathroom, tiling, etc.

Extensions and refurbishments – Refurbishment and bathroom design – Internal and external renovation

Internal renovation

We always aim to offer the most comprehensive package that meets your requirements. Not only will we do the necessary demolition, plastering / rendering jobs, but we will accomplish every bespoke design ideas you might have. Let it be bespoke suspended ceilings, custom lighting, glass-brick partition / wall, built-in fire-place, or a one-of-a kind bathroom, we will achieve to please you.

Tiling – Decorations – Painting – Plasterboard – Bathroom Fitting – Kitchen Fitting – Flat Refurbishment – Loft Conversions – Building Extensions – Plastering – Flooring – Plumbing

External renovation

house extension board insulation services

External renovation services are generally start with the renovation of forefront/facada. Once the scaffolding is removed we change the water pipes , build the patio or pergola as per the customer’s requirement. We put down the kerbstones/border stones and the paving. We build the fences and fit the outdoor lights with motion sensors. If you would like to know more about our building refurbishment services click here.

Extensions – Paving – Driveways – Bricklayer Jobs – Stone works – Concrete Blocks – Garage – New Roofing and Repairs – Electrical and Drainage Service – Pergolas – Facade Ren

Special works

prepared screed for floor heating - stage 1.

floor heating system preparation - stage 3.

In order to build high-standard buildings and to keep up with the ever-developing technologies used in our field, we only trade with the best suppliers, use the latest machinery. See them for yourself on our “Technologies” site. For further, more detailed information call us and we will be happy to arrange a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.

(Quote the following code in your enquiry and we grant you a 10% discount of the price of your next project! NSERV)

Infra Heating – Heat Pump – Injection – Ventilation System – Anti Mould Painting – Spray Foam Insulation – Surface Heating System