As we enter the Autumn and Winter months and the weather turns wetter and windier many people start to look at ways they can keep their properties warmer. For those people who live in areas which are affected by flooding or wind driven rain the decision on how to improve the energy efficiency of their property is one that needs to be considered carefully.
People often think that the use of cavity wall insulation is not an appropriate measure where they are at risk of flooding or wind driven rain due to the impact water has on standard cavity wall insulation. When standard cavity wall insulation gets wet it becomes like a sponge, it’s thermal efficiency reduces and in some cases needs to be removed incurring expensive and inconvenience.
However if the right product is used then you can improve the thermal efficiency of your property with cavity wall insulation. The right product is a closed cell polyurethane foam product. When this type of product is used its closed cell structure means that it doesn’t soak up the water. Additionally it stops water ingressing across the cavity therefore improving the flood resilience of the property. If the property does flood the Technitherm remains serviceable and does not need to be removed, retaining its thermal efficiency benefits and avoiding the expense and inconvenience of removal.
Technitherm® is our closed cell polyurethane cavity wall insulation product. For properties in Rochdale which had been flooded previously Technitherm® was chosen to replace the saturated standard cavity wall insulation which need to be removed so that the residents could still benefit from improved energy efficiency of their homes. The additional benefit of Technitherm not being affected should the area flood again was an additional bonus to the local authority. The choice was made taking into account the guidance from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), BS85500:2015, DEFRA, DCLG and the environment agency who all advise that cavity wall insulation in flood risk homes should preferably incorporate closed cell materials as these retain integrity and have low moisture take up. This guidance was further backed up by the BRE’s report on Technitherm® and its flood resilience properties.
For more information visit the Technitherm® page or get in touch with our team who are available to answer any questions you might have about the product and put you in touch with our network of approved installers.
