technology to better reflect available natural and artificial light. The technology incorporates optical brighteners and cleaner tinting recipes to reflect more light back into a room – making it appear bigger and brighter.
In practical terms, this allows lower wattage bulbs to achieve the same effect as standard bulbs - the equivalent of reducing a home’s lighting energy consumption by up to 22 per cent. **
SUSTAINABLE COATINGS IN SOCIAL HOUSING
These advances in technology, and, indeed, new approaches, are beginning to make an impact on the social housing sector. Coatings from the Ecosure range have recently been used in a pioneering housing project in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, for example. The coatings were chosen for the interior of eight award- winning, energy saving affordable homes at Dormont Estate near Lockerbie. The properties have been built to
Passivhaus standard, and are the first of their kind to be rolled out on a commercial scale in Scotland. Each property has been fitted with solar thermal panels, recycled air heating systems and ultra-insulation, all of which reduce energy costs by around 95 per cent compared to traditional properties. David Major, from the local architects, White Hill Design, that designed the properties, commented: “During the project, we addressed every aspect of sustainability, from floors to walls. As such,
areas needs to be controlled. The calculated figure varies from 14 per cent to 28 per cent
we decided to use coatings from the Dulux Trade Ecosure range because of their outstanding environmental credentials, ease of application and long-term performance.” Dulux Trade Ecosure Matt emulsion was specified in White for the ceilings and in Magnolia for the interior walls of the new homes. Ecosure Undercoat and Ecosure Gloss in Brilliant White were also used on the trim woodwork including the window and door frames. Allan Kennedy, owner of the paint contractors, A.R. Kennedy, who worked on the project, commented: “We found Ecosure great to work with. In particular, the ease of application, flow and the high standard finish impressed us - we’re delighted with the end result.” Jamie Carruthers, land owner of Dormont Estate who spearheaded the project, added: “Dormont Estate sets the bar for affordable housing projects, and Dulux Trade has been extremely supportive in helping us set that standard. At the start of the project, we had clear objectives – to deliver a scheme of sustainable homes which are practical and robust. There’s a real synergy between our objectives and how Dulux Trade approaches sustainability with its product range, therefore Ecosure was the perfect fit. As well as their environmental performance the paints prove that it’s possible to be sustainable and practical.”
WORKING TOGETHER Sustainability in the paints and
depending on the wall colour chosen. The actual light energy savings achieved in
practice may differ from the calculations. PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 27
coatings industry is changing. Leading manufacturers are taking an approach that not only looks at the environmental credentials of the raw materials they use, but also at how they produce and deliver coatings, and how these products preform over their lifecycle. Eco-friendly measures cannot be taken in isolation; a truly sustainable solution will take into account how all the products specified for a project work together, in the long-term, to reduce the overall Impact.
Advances in paint technology are helping to make this approach a reality for more and more social housing projects. Products such as those in the Ecosure range allow specifiers to select paints that are not only more sustainable, but that also match standard paints in terms of performance, across their lifecycle. In addition, colour ranges such as Light & Space, are allowing specifiers to deliver significant energy saving benefits through decorative coatings. For public sector specifiers, under pressure to deliver more sustainable solutions in the projects they are working on, the challenge is to make sure that when they are selecting coatings for a project, they look beyond simply choosing products based on the ingredients found in the tin, and instead consider impact over the whole lifecycle of the products they specify. Luckily, manufactures are making the long-term choices and benefits of their products clearer all the time.
www.dulux-trade-decorating.co.uk
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