WHISCERS™

Faster, better,cost-effective:Low mess wall insulationfor hard-to-treat properties

The patented process was unveiledat an award-winning low-carbonretrofit of a three-storey councilowned Victorian terraced house inBertram Street, Camden inNovember 2010. The eco measuresinstalled in the home, including IWI,have greatly improved energyefficiency and reduced fuel bills bynearly £600 a year. Carbonemissions have been cut by 77%.

Since then, WHISCERS™ has beeninstalled in 104 flats in two 13-storeytower blocks in Dorking, where ithas reduced U-values from 1.7 to 0.3and heat loss in each flat by 40%.Energy bills are expected to reduceby 30%, representing a saving of£450 per household per annum.Carbon efficiency is expected toimprove by up to 80%.

WHISCERS™ uses laser scanning tomeasure the dimensions of a room,off-site insulation board cutting andrapid installation to complete theprocess. As it is a low mess processthat is faster and less disruptivethan traditional IWI methods,residents can continue to livein their homes, saving housingproviders thousands of poundsin relocation costs.

Whole House In-Situ Carbon and Energy Reduction Solution

Faster, better,cost-effective:Low mess wall insulationfor hard-to-treat properties

WHISCERS™ (Whole House In-Situ

Carbon and Energy Reduction Solution)

is a revolutionary process for Internal

Wall Insulation (IWI) of hard-to-treat

properties that uses laser technology

for the first time, enabling residents to

continue to live in their homes

throughout the refurbishment works.

WHISCERS™

1. A 3D laser scanner measures theinternal dimensions of a room. Thedigital data is then downloaded toa factory-based off-site cuttingmachine.

WHISCERS™ is a win, win, win solution for housingproviders, residents and the contractor. Contact usto find out how we can transform your hard-to-treatproperties into easy-to-heat homes.WHISCERS™ is protected by patent and United House is the sole UK licensee.

1 2 3

How it worksWHISCERS™ is a three part process:

The processThe innovative process is the resultof a partnership between UnitedHouse and the Sustainable EnergyAcademy. It was developed as avolume solution for retrofitting olderand hard-to-treat social housing

stock on a nationwide scale toaddress the dual challenges ofreducing carbon emissions inexisting stock and fuel poverty forresidents, whilst at the same timemaking these homes warmerand more energy efficient.

There are seven million of thesehomes in the UK – two million inLondon alone. Up to 40% of theheat loss in these homes passesthrough the external walls and

in most cases, due to planningrestrictions, IWI is the onlyrealistic option.

WHISCERS™ is faster, better andmore cost-effective than traditionalinsulating methods. With low mess,little noise and minimal disruption,as well as being able to insulate aroom in 90 minutes with residentsremaining at home, WHISCERS™is an ideal way of retrofitting solid-walled properties

2. The machine cuts the insulationboards with great accuracy.Software optimises the cut tominimise wastage.

3. The boards are delivered to site asa kit and are then fitted to the wallswith the minimum of noise, messand disruption.

The benefitsWHISCERS™ provides manybenefits over traditional IWImethods:

• Developed with residents inmind: it is a speedy process thatminimises mess and disruption inthe home, so residents can get onwith their lives with the minimumof inconvenience.

• Accuracy of measurement:laser scanning provides far greateraccuracy of measurement.

• Speed of measurement:the dimensions of a typical wallcan be collated in 10 minutes,as opposed to 30 minutes bytraditional methods, so a typicalthree bedroom house can besurveyed in 60 to 90 minutes.

• Automated, off-site cuttingusing a CNC cutting machine:little mess in the home, greateraccuracy and lower materialcosts than hand-cutting. Lessmaterial waste.

• Faster Installation: boardsarrive on site and can generallybe fitted in 90 minutes per roomor less, with lower labour costs.

• Residents can remain at home:Less disruption, no relocationcosts for the housing provider,minimum noise, mess and fasterprocess.

United House makes the processof going low carbon easier, withexperts who can help at allstages of the process, fromidentifying funding, throughplanning and design, toinstallation and handover.

Our Value Carbon process canidentify the most cost effectivelow-carbon retrofit solution foreach property. This assesses therelative CO2 benefit of a retrofitmeasure against the cost ofinstallation.

Working with United House

WHISCERS™ case study

WHISCERS™

WHISCERS™ is a win, win, win solution for housingproviders, residents and the contractor. Contact usto find out how we can transform your hard-to-treatproperties into easy-to-heat homes.

Client:Mole Valley Housing AssociationContract Duration:February 2012 – July 2012Contract Value: £2mContract Form: PPC 2000CCoonnttrraacctt llooccaattiioonn::Goodwyns Estate, Dorking, Surrey RH4 2QG

DescriptionThis project was the first massscale roll out of the WHISCERS™low mess internal wall insulation(IWI) process in the country. Thescope of the project encompassedimproving insulation and energyefficiency, whilst reducing fuel billsand carbon emissions in 104 flats in two 13-storey tower blocks,constructed with uninsulatedconcrete panel walls. The projectalso involved installing newkitchens and bathrooms, soil stackreplacement, electrical upgradesand redecoration.

Key featuresThe work was carried out in twostages, with bedrooms and loungesworked on first, followed bykitchens and bathrooms. The

insulation board (KingspanKooltherm K18 InsulatedPlasterboard) was screwed tobattens fixed to the inside surfaceof the external walls (it can also befixed by dot and dab), a plasterskim coat and normal decorationfinished the job.

The WHISCERS™ process cut thetime taken to install IWI in each flatfrom 5 days to 2.5/3 days. Itreduced survey times, minimisedmaterial waste and avoided themess and dust in the homenormally associated withtraditional methods. Insulatingboards were prepared in advance,delivered in packs, installed andfinished with minimal disruption tothe residents living in the flats, whoall remained in their homesthroughout the works.

How we made a differenceThe work has been well receivedwith customer satisfaction surveysshowing that residents are veryhappy with the outcome.

Outcomes• U-values reduced from 1.7 to 0.3and heat loss in each flat by 40%

• Energy bills are expected toreduce by around 30% – a savingof £450 per annum perhousehold

• The building’s carbon efficiencyis expected to improve by up to 80%

• Obviated the need to decantresidents from their homes,saving the housing provider up to £4,000 per household

• Improves customer satisfactionand disruption.

United HouseGoldsel RoadSwanleyKent BR8 8EXTel: 01322 665522Email: info@unitedhouse.net

lowcarbon.unitedhouse.net

In partnership with:

www.superhomes.org.uk

www.kingspan.co.uk

© United House October 2012

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