INSULATION
TIME TO IMPROVE W
BMJ talks to Rockwool’s commercial director Ed Peltor about the opportunities for insulation sales into the home renovation and extension market.
e have long been familiar with the term ‘move or improve’ but it seems that there is a shift in the direction of improving the
home rather than moving.
Research conducted by Hiscox earlier this year, shows a 400% increase in homeowners deciding to improve, not move, over the past five years. Hiscox interviewed 1,200 homeowners and found that a number of factors are persuading people to stay put. These included prohibitively high property prices (25%), a sluggish property market (15%), a stamp duty (13%), potential interest rate rises (8%) and uncertainty caused by Brexit (8%). Home renovation and extension projects are going to remain steady business for builders or even grow during the year.
With increasing market uncertainty for homebuyers, it is easy to see why improving is becoming a more attractive option. It also presents opportunities for merchants, says Rockwool commercial director Ed Peltor. “Knowledge is key for merchants as we are seeing builders and consumers are becoming more aware of the different types and applications of insulation in the home and how a product performs, especially in the context of noise reduction, thermal performance and, importantly, fire safety” he says. With these factors at the forefront of their customers’ minds, merchants also need to place a high value on these performance characteristics. Firstly, Peltor says it’s important to look at sound and noise transfer. Poor acoustics impact hugely on the overall environment of our homes, compromising our attention spans, raising stress levels and adversely affecting lifestyles and our well-being.
“Without proper sound insulation, noise will travel easily, either directly through the
separating wall or floor, or through an indirect or flanking route” he says. “Even in newer homes, people are much more aware than they used to be of louder TV, music levels, voices and footsteps on wooden floors from neighbours, or from rooms above. It’s this heightened sensitivity that will persuade them to take the steps to do something about it as a key component of any home improvement.” Peltor says that Rockwool’s own report, Good Growth, Quiet Buildings, highlighted why noise mitigation should be incorporated into the design process of any development to support good health and well-being. “Factoring in noise from the outset of a project can be the most cost-effective route to ensuring a high standard of acoustic performance and can be as simple as selecting insulation that delivers on both thermal needs and sounds absorption.” Made from stone, with a dense, non- directional fibre structure, ROCKWOOL Sound Insulation is suited to the challenge of cutting noise pollution in homes. When fitted inside cavity walls or between floors, it actually absorbs sound energy as it travels towards the occupant. It effectively traps sound waves and dampens vibration to provide an enhanced noise reducing solution for internal and separating walls as well as floors in applications including home offices, studies, bedrooms, bathrooms and TV, media and gaming rooms. Peltor says that, beyond sound, fire safety is an especially important issue and is in focus more than ever before.
Euroclass Classifications “In terms of an insulation material, it is key to understand what is combustible and what is non-combustible. This is not as daunting as it sounds, it is a simple matter of understanding the Euroclass system applicable under CE Marking rules.
“Understanding these Euroclass classifications is important for both merchants and their customers” he says. The Euroclass system states that insulation products achieving A1 classification are defined as non-combustible under the Regulations. Products achieving an A2 classification are recognised as limited combustibility (A2 remains Non-combustible in Scotland), and products achieving a rating of B-F are deemed to be combustible. “We see builders becoming more aware and better educated about what is and what is not combustible. This greater awareness will inevitably transfer across to the consumer space, resulting in homeowners driving demand
February 2019
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
Euroclass EN13501-01/ Reaction to Fire (RtF)
England & Wales Definitions
Non-Combustible Limited-Combustible
Euroclass RtF
A1 A2
B C D E F
No Performance Determined NPD
Euroclasses Ignitable Flame Spread Total heat release Emission of toxic smoke
Character changes e.g. melting, dripping, charring
Source:
http://mima.info/info-centre/ MIMA Building Safety Guide – Insulated Façades
for the use of non-combustible insulation on their homes in the future.
“Insulation can be seen as technically complex, but ROCKWOOL has a range of tools and support on offer to help merchants to better understand product distinctions, benefits and application benefits.”
For instance, Peltor continues, the #TheSoundExperience ROCKWOOL Demo Truck is visiting merchant branches across the country to provide a better understanding of the strength of stone wool’s acoustic, thermal and fire performance. “Our signature sound tunnel allows customers to experience sound reduction. The ROCKWOOL Training Academy is also a BMF Centre of Excellence and is used as a regional hub for BMF training courses and merchant events throughout the year. “Merchants stocking the right insulation products are going to be in a good place to benefit from the growth in renovation projects. Our offer ensures merchants have the product solutions and technical knowledge their customers require.” BMJ
ROCKWOOL: SPONSOR OF THE NATIONAL RISING STAR AWARD AT THE BMJ INDUSTRY AWARDS 2019
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Combustible
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