Let’s talk EPC 4.

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.

Epc- planingHow 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.

epc - main steps of refurbishmentThe 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)

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Let’s talk EPC 2.

EPC rating
EPC rating diagram sample

In the first part of the article we tried to provide a general overview about Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Today we are going to explain what different ratings mean, and how they affect our everyday life.

To demonstrate these effects, we chose a home with the most common EPC rating on the British market. The diagram below belongs to such a house.

diagram about-uk-domestic-EPC-rating

The EPC rating is 68 (level D). Most homes in the UK have a rating between 55 and 75, so we can say this example represents an average UK home. Now is this value good or not? I know I said this was an average value, so I might shock a few readers now when I say this value is very low. To tell you the truth only 2% of the British homes have a level B or higher rating.

Having today’s technologies and materials at our disposal it seems to me that this value is just not good enough. Although the climate varies on a large scale throughout Europe (think about the Mediterranean, Greece, Spain, Portugal and the northern countries such as Norway or Sweden) they manage to have a better overall rating in domestic EPC rating than the UK, regardless of their climate. This is because of the physical features of the buildings, the materials and technologies used, therefore the operations of the buildings are much more economical there (average EPC rating in Europe 75-80, in Germany this value is 85). Sadly the UK is significantly behind these countries in terms of domestic energy consumption.

The importance of thermal insulation started to become a factor in Europe since the ‘70s, whereas in the UK, energy efficient building technologies have only just started to be of high demand.

This results in quite significant arrears. We can still catch up to the leading European countries (in terms of high EPC rating domestic buildings), but we have to consciously design the new buildings and also plan the refurbishment projects.

The meaning of EPC rating 68:eco EPC rating A

  • cold, draughty floor
  • damp house
  • mould occurrence in corners, around windows, behind cupboards or in the bathroom – unhealthy environment
  • the changes in the outer temperature is perceptible inside the house even next to constant heating
  • high energy bills, high pollution emission

These conditions can easily be improved by professional diagnostics and the usage of modern building materials. Upgrading the windows to double-glazed or triple-glazed will not be sufficient on its own (it is a start nonetheless). To upgrade your house’s EPC rating to level “B” is easily achievable if you plan your next refurbishment project thoroughly and energy consciously – and it does not have to cost more!

How is this possible? What are the costs and how quickly will such an investment show financial return? We will elaborate these in our next article.

As usual, please feel free to share your comments, own experiences or relevant stories 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! NLTE2)

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Let’s talk EPC 1.

What does EPC mean?

EPC rating 1

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

EPC illustration

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)

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Advantages of steel frame building structure

Lightweight steel frame structure building system

house structureWhen 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.metal frame building 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)

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Technologies

Overview of EcoPropi’s various technologies

Introduction, brief description:
  • Do you have mould/mildew in your home? Did you try to get rid of it, but it just keeps coming back shortly after the treatment?
  • Are your walls and floor constantly cold, making your home cold as well, even though the heating is on?
  • Do wet staines appear on your walls? Plaster falling?
  • Would you like to eliminate the hazards mentioned above, and at the same time, save on your energy bills, and improve your property’s value?

We offer complete planning and energy surveying buildings, assembling and upgrading insulation systems. We eliminate moisture penetration, thermal bridges and mould with the use of injection, spray foam insulation, etc.

We will increase the efficiency of  the thermal insulation and build renewable energy systems as well, and as a result we will be able to reduce your energy bills and improve the comfort levelof your home.

injection, insulation, pumps, etc logos
brick wall injection, insulation
Efficient technologies customized to clients’ needs:

 

  • Initial assessment of customer needs, full inspection of the property (heating and ventilation systems, structure, doors, windows, etc.) energy survey. Calculating energy consumption after renovation and preparing quotation for reconstruction.
  • Removing existing mould by treating the affected areas.
  • In the absence of waterproofed walls we carry out emulsion – injection in order to prevent water and soil vapor penetrating the structure.
  • Applying closed-cell foams on walls, joists and even on the existing thermal insulation and waterproofing the roof.
  • In some cases the conventional techniques can also be used effectively: bitumen felt, polystyrene board insulation.
  • Upgrading  heating systems by installing condensing boilers, heat recovery ventilation, heat pumps and internal surface heating.

 

Our activities in details:
Needs assessment, energy survey, quotation:

Your living conditions and the value of your property could significantly be improved by investing in renewable energy. Whether you are selling your property, have just purchased one, or it is time to renovate it, it is worth considering a long-term profitable investment. Increasing the value in a way that you could feel every day. Getting rid of mould and the uncomfortable feeling of cold walls, unwarmed, draughty rooms and bad atmosphere… own a pleasant home!

In case of advanced insulation we provide energy survey if requested, hence changes become evident. You will be able to see the difference in the energy classification of your property, the value increases and your heating costs will decrease.
We provide a written quotation both for minor and complex insulation works.We use thermal imaging before and after renovation.If you are not satisfied with the appearance of your property (i.e: obsolete bricks, plaster) full facade insulation is recommended before renovation. We execute thermal insulation with state of the art foaming systems and reconstruct your property by faux brick wall panels.
Injection:

We eliminate moisture problems which are highly responsible for mould growth. The film, emulsion formed after injection prevents the moisture absorption into the brick walls.

cavity wall spray foam insulation
 

The role of modern doors and windows:

If the walls are already well insulated and the heating system warms up the house, we should not let the heat escape through doors and windows. Often the weakest link is the window. They have an important role in building energetics.

Anti-mould paintings/coatings:

In many cases we see mould retardant paints, primers that promise us they eridicate mould forever. However, these are only temporary solutions. As a first step we eliminate the conditions of mould growth such as moisture, humidity, cold surfaces where moisture condenses and initiates mould growth. With our previously listed equipments we eliminate moisture penetration, cold surfaces and ventilate vapour. We use surface treatment (e.g: mould remover, special paint in order to kill the remaining mould) only after these actions, as the substances used to treat the surfaces will not achieve the same long-lasting result as injection and spray foam insulation.

Roof insulations

slab insulation

rafters insulations

additional rafter insulation

Wall and slab insulations:

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

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