24
SPN JUN 2010 GovernmentGrants
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
ARE POOL OWNERS MISSING OUT ON
GOVERNMENT GRANTS?
ENERGY BODY SAYS THAT GRANTS WHICH WOULD REDUCE THE COST OF BUILDING OR RENOVATING A NEW POOL THROUGH HEAT LOSS TREATMENT ARE NOT BEING APPLIED FOR – OR PAID OUT IN SUFFICIENT NUMBERS
O
fgem, the office of the gas and electricity markets in the UK, has said swimming pool owners are missing out on Government grants which would significantly reduce the cost of a new pool or renovation of an existing pool. Grants are made based on the principle of preventing heat loss from pools and are funded by Scottish and Southern Energy under DEFRA’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). Grants for domestic swimming pools vary from between £700 and £3,500 and are available in England, Wales and Scotland and are usually made independently of financial status.
Ofgem now says the grants which are widely available have ‘by-passed’ swimming pool owners who may not be aware of the heat loss savings.
“Our priority is helping to secure Britain’s energy supplies but the savings of energy are at the heart of Government grants and there are signs they are not being used sufficiently.” Energy consultant Martin Garcia said: “It is often just a case if you don’t ask you don’t get. The work of the Carbon Trust is a great example of how grants are available at the top end of the market for businesses who have inspirational projects. The problem with individual grants is that many people think the combination of paperwork and hassle is too much to bother with. The reality is however that the Government is very motivated by energy savings and any scheme which has gone through the rigorous vetting process by one of their agencies has the benefit of being approved and therefore the grants should be easier and quicker to approve.”
Thermapool, based in Bishop’s Stortford, is
the only government accredited pool insulation system approved after 18 months of independent testing by Ofgem and BRE the leading standard in energy efficient construction.
BRE research calculated that Thermapool retains 86% of heat normally lost into the ground; a financial saving over 10 years to the average domestic pool of £10,500 to £25,300. If the pool owner or anyone residing at the address is on the priority list under the “Government Energy Saving Grants” then they will qualify for the larger grants, in some instances the materials are free! Thermapool has worked with universities building institutes to get a comprehensive view of how to prevent swimming pools from losing heat.
The way the system convinced energy authorities is that heat evaporates from the tops of swimming pools. However, there are other areas that lose significant amounts of heat that are often not considered by builders due to cut backs. It doesn’t matter whether the pool is above-ground or in-ground, the sides and bottom of the pool will still lose heat into the soil.
By fitting insulation to the sides and bottom of a pool, the system can prevent an 86% of heat loss from the pool. Insulation materials used in general building construction keep heat in because they stay dry. Unfortunately, they’re ineffective for insulating swimming pools, because they become wet and lose their insulation properties.
This discovery led us to develop Thermapool insulation which is completely waterproof and impervious to moisture.
Thermapool has been independently tested to keep its thermal performance for more than 40 years so we guarantee it for 25 years ensuring its insulating properties. You wouldn’t think it would make much difference whether pool insulation was fitted to the inside or the outside of a pool. Well it does: a 50% efficiency difference in fact! When pool insulation is fitted on the outside of the pool, only 41% of heat loss is prevented. Thermapool’s unique waterproof qualities mean it can be fitted to the inside of the pool and prevent a significant amount of heat from escaping into the soil.
Like a normal building, swimming pools can be affected by minor ground settlement causing them to crack. Unlike other pool insulation materials, Thermapool has been designed to withstand these minor movements as well as the incredible weight and pressures water puts on to the walls of a pool. This means it can not only be used on the sides of the pool but also on the bottom. This means it can be used to insulate the entire pool. Ofgem also ascribed Thermapool the maximum 40 year lifetime for both tiled and liner pools.
Thermapool insulated a large 145m² domestic pool in Hampshire on both walls and floor with 75mm Thermapool insulation which generated a fully insulated unit with no thermal bridges.
Essentially the pool walls and floor acted as a solar panel and meant the customer could maintain a 29 degree temperature using only their existing 6kW inline electric paddling pool heater. The customer’s government grant towards the cost of the insulation in this case equated to the full £3,500. spn
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