Contents

1.0 What is External Insulation?........................................................................................... 2

2.0 Insulation & Finishes available....................................................................................... 3

2.1 External Insulation Finishes.............................................................................................42.1.1 Acrylic....................................................................................................................... 42.1.2 Wet Dash.................................................................................................................. 42.1.3 Dry Dash.................................................................................................................. 42.1.4 Brick Slips............................................................................................................... 42.2 External Insulation Materials...........................................................................................52.2.1 White EPS Insulation.......................................................................................... 52.2.2 Platinum EPS Insulation....................................................................................52.2.3 Mineral Wool Sheet............................................................................................. 62.2.4 Polyisocyanurate.................................................................................................. 63.0 How much can I save?........................................................................................................ 7

4.0 Is External Insulation for my home?............................................................................. 8

5.0 How is it Installed?............................................................................................................. 95.1 Pre-Installation Survey.................................................................................................... 105.2 Step 1 - Preparation.......................................................................................................... 105.2.1 Ventilation............................................................................................................ 102

5.2.2 ESB Cables............................................................................................................ 115.2.3 Rainwater Goods............................................................................................... 115.2.4 Fences and Gates...............................................................................................115.2.5 Alarm Boxes......................................................................................................... 125.2.6 Satellite Dishes................................................................................................... 125.3 Step 2 – Starter Track....................................................................................................... 125.4 Step 3 - Boarding................................................................................................................ 135.5 Step 4 - Fixing...................................................................................................................... 135.6 Step 5 – Base Coats and Embedded Mesh................................................................135.7 Step 6 – Priming and Acrylic Finish............................................................................145.8 Step 7 – Completion.......................................................................................................... 146.0 Is it tested and certified?................................................................................................ 156.1 NSAI Agrément.................................................................................................................... 157.0 How long is it guaranteed for?...................................................................................... 16

8.0 Are there grants available?............................................................................................ 17

9.0 Useful Links........................................................................................................................ 17

10.0 Summary............................................................................................................................. 18

1.0 What is External Insulation?

External wall insulation or “EWI Systems” has been used to insulate homes on the continent for over 50 years and is fast becoming the best way to retrofit insulation to existing homes here in Ireland for several key reasons;1. External Insulation is fitted to the outside face of your external walls so you are able to completely wrap your home with insulation minimising any issues of cold bridging.2. External Insulation is installed outside your home therefore minimising any disruption caused to the occupants and does not lead to reduced floor space internally.

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3. As External Insulation is fitted on the outside of the external masonry walls it allows the masonry walls to retain the heating and release it evenly throughout the day resulting in a very comfortable living environment.4. External Insulation has an excellent array of finishes and colours available and can greatly enhance the appearance of your home.

These insulation systems provide a solution for two problems; firstly high energy costs and secondly CO² emissions by providing better thermal insulation on the walls of your home your energy usage lowers while your overall costs and emissions. Along with this, cold bridging is avoided and a better comfort level is created for the occupants. By installing external wall insulation you are lowering your home’s heat loss by approximately 30% as that is how much heat that can be lost through your walls.

2.0 Insulation & Finishes available

It can be quite daunting for a homeowner trying to wade through the seemingly endless information with regard to external insulating material and rendering finishes. As experts, we know the products well and as you read on we will give you a concise simplification of each of the main products on the market.Spot the Difference between the two photographs of this one house.

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The difference with the above is that the photograph on the left is the house before external insulation was installed while the photograph on the right is after the system is installed. They both look identical; the only difference being that the paintwork is fresher on the right hand side photograph after the work was completed. Many people worry that their house’s appearance will change drastically if they are to install an external wall insulation system. These photographs should put peoples mind at rest.

2.1 External Insulation Finishes 5

The most common types of external insulation finishes are outlined below. 2.1.1 Acrylic Acrylic renders are a result of a polymer additive to the traditional cement, lime and sand mix. This provides enhanced water resistance, flexibility and adhesion. These heavy duty decorative finishes are the most durable coatings in use today. They are available in fine sand and coarse aggregate mixes and a wide range of colours.

2.1.2 Wet Dash This is a traditional method that was popular but is now rarely used on newer buildings. Small stones are added to a wet mix of coloured cement and sand. It projected or ‘dashed’ against a substrate finish.

2.1.3 Dry Dash This is also a traditional render application, where dry dashing aggregate is thrown onto the wet render to create a natural aggregate finish. 2.1.4 Brick Slips Thin facing slips are manufactured from acrylic render to simulate brickwork. They are applied over the insulation to provide a traditional brick wall finish. This product is a versatile alternative to traditional brickwork. They come in a variety of colours which represent the most popular brick types in the country.

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2.2 External Insulation Materials There are a number of insulation materials available when it comes to choosing what is to be used in external wall insulation systems. It is vital when choosing the insulation material to go on the walls of your home that you choose a material with an Irish Agrément Board Certificate. This certificate includes all the information about specifications, design data and installation recommendations. It will also give you the u-value of the thickness of material. The main options available are briefly discussed below;

2.2.1 White EPS Insulation EPS is the most commonly used material in external insulation in Ireland. The beads are fused together in a number of processes including steam injection.Thermal Conductivity: 0.030W/mK Advantage: Its thermal conductivity levels coupled with the pricing make this a very popular option on the market.Disadvantage: To achieve the desired u-value, the board must have a thickness of 120mm.

2.2.2 Platinum EPS Insulation EPS is the most commonly used material in external insulation in Ireland. The beads are fused together in a number of processes including steam injection.Thermal Conductivity: 0.027W/mK

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Advantage: Graphite has been added to the standard white EPS which enhances the thermal properties of the insulation. It is the best all-round board.Disadvantage: It has a lower fire resistance than other insulation materials.

2.2.3 Mineral Wool Sheet Mineral wool is made by spinning molten slag into long fibres, a similar process to that of making fibreglass.Thermal Conductivity: 0.037W/mK

Advantage: Mineral wool will not burn or melt in the event of a fire.Disadvantage: This product has a very inefficient moisture resistance level. To achieve the desired u-value, the board must have a thickness of 120mm.

2.2.4 Polyisocyanurate Polyisocyanurate, PIR, is essentially an improvement on polyurethane.Thermal Conductivity: 0.023W/mK

Advantage:It is the thinnest, most effective insulation boarding available for external wall insulation.8

Disadvantage: It is the most expensive insulation boarding and has the least breathability

3.0 How much can I save?

This is a worked example of a completed Churchfield Green Energy job which outlines the potential savings that homeowners can make.House Type:- Two Storey Semi-Detatched- Built in 1970's- Hollow Block Wall Construction

Before Works:- BER- E1- Estimated Heating Bills: €2,550.00/yr After Works:

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- Works completed: 100mm EPS platinum Insulation boards applied to external walls (U-Value of 0.27W/m2K)- Brick & Acrylic finish to the homeowners colour choice and satisfaction. Attic Insulation Installation and Windows upgrade also completed.- BER- C2- Estimated Heating Bill: €1,580.00/yr

Heating Bill Reduced by 38%

4.0 Is External Insulation for my home?

In the vast majority of cases, external wall insulation is suitable to most houses. With a wide variety of finishes available most styles and features can be re-created providing your home with an insulated makeover. Below are some images showing the scope of finishes that can be achieved with completely different house types.

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5.0 How is it Installed?

Installing External Wall Insulation involves a number of steps. Initially, preparation work is carried out to the walls, sills, reveals, existing pipework and downpipes. Insulation boards are then bonded to the existing walls of your home. These are subsequently fixed with mechanical fixings also. The rendering process can then begin in earnest. This involves two layers of a base render with an embedded strengthening mesh applied. The walls are then

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primed in preparation for the final finish of acrylic render. Once completed, all pipework, downpipes, gates etc. are fixed back into their original locations.The installation process will on average take 10 working days*. *Based on a three-bed semi-detached house

5.1 Pre – Installation Survey 12

A comprehensive pre-installation survey is carried out to determine the suitability of the house. This survey is also used to price the project and identify all the relevant factors that have a bearing on the design and installation of the cladding system. These factors include; wind load calculations, condensation and thermal bridging. A full set of project specific building details are also taken.5.2 Step 1 - Preparation “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.

Benjamin Franklin

Before the work begins on insulating the external walls of your home, there are a number of key preparatory steps that must be carried out to make the process as fast, efficient and trouble free as possible for you, the homeowner. We will walk through with you the necessary steps so you know exactly what steps are taken while installing the external insulation. Firstly, there are some key points to note:5.2.1 Ventilation

Wall ventilators provide passive ventilation through external walls into habitable rooms. It is important to differentiate between a ventilator which is required to provide general background ventilation and one which provides air into a room which contains a heat producing appliance. A habitable room requires a free airflow of 8000 square mm in order to comply with building regulations. This can be provided by using two airbricks complete with cavity sleeves and internal louvered or hit and miss grilles.

Wall and Plinth Flue ventilation

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5.2.2 ESB Cables ESB are responsible for the electrical supply connection to your home. In the event that the ESB cables are above ground and connected to the external walls, these will have to be safely removed before work commences. The ESB will need to be contacted before the job has commenced in order to prevent any delays in the job process. The ESB will come out to your home and extend the cables to ensure the insulation can be installed safely.

5.2.3 Rainwater Goods Any rainwater pipework that are on the external walls of the house must be temporarily removed along with any associated fixings, in preparation for the system. The reason for this removal is so that the insulation is uninterrupted by the pipework and runs consistently over the wall face. After the insulation has been installed, the downpipes will be refitted to the locations they been before the work. It is important the pipework is aligned correctly with the drain openings to ensure that the rainwater runs directly from one to the other.

5.2.4 Fences and Gates Any fences or gates that are adjoining the external facades will be removed and stored on-site to be re-attached to their original positions. It is common to see fences or gates attached to houses which are used to divide neighboring gardens or to provide privacy. These gates and fences that are connected to the external walls of the house must be removed to ensure the insulation is installed fully. Upon the insulation being installed, the fences and gates will be re-connected to the house’s facades. It was worth noting that a small section of the fence or gate may have to be removed to ensure that it fits correctly after the addition of the insulation.

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5.2.5 Alarm Boxes Most homes have an active security alarm system. Our on-site staff will remove the alarm box casing however we advise that a qualified security electrician be arranged to temporarily remove the alarm box from the external façade while work is under way. Upon completion the alarm box can be re-positioned by your qualified security electrician.

5.2.6Satellite Dishes In the event that there is a satellite dish attached to the house, as with the items already mentioned, it will have to be safely removed in order to fully install the insulation material. While we can remove and re-attach the satellite dish, we are not trained in fitting the dish to receive signal as per before the works were carried out. For this reason it is advised to contact your service provider to fully remove and re-install your satellite dish.

5.3 Step 2 – Starter Track Before installing the insulating boards, a base line must be established. This line is level with the damp proof course (DPC) within the walls. This provides a clean horizontal starting point but also provides strength to the lower part of the system.

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5.4 Step 3 - Boarding A bonding compound is applied to the insulating boards by a method called clumping. The clumping method is where all the edges and the center are covered in mortar before it is adhered to the wall. Installation of the insulation sheets starts from the corners. The insulation boards are added on one after another, leaving no joints to prevent thermal bridging.

5.5 Step 4 - Fixing In addition to the adhesive, the insulation boards are fixed with wall plugs. Holes are drilled through the boards and into the existing walls of the house. The plugs are fixed into these holes. It is vital that the holes are drilled to a sufficient depth ensuring the fixings have adequate bearing to the existing walls.

5.6 Step 5 – Base Coats and Embedded Mesh When the boards have been plugged, more bonding mortar is mixed. Half of the mortar is then applied on the face of the sheeting. A reinforcement mesh is fixed to this layer of mortar. This mesh is used to bear the load of the system. Another layer of adhesive, protective mortar is applied on the mesh so as a result the reinforcement mesh is embedded in the mortar layers.

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5.7 Step 6 – Priming and Acrylic Finish Once the mortar surrounding the reinforcement mesh has dried sufficiently, a layer of primer is applied on the surface evenly with a paint roller or square brush. The finishing layer is a low maintenance coloured and textured acrylic render. There are a range of colours to choose from for the final finish layer.

5.8 Step 7 - Completion Once the acrylic finish has dried sufficiently, all pipework, downpipes etc. are fixed to their original locations. All scaffolding, skips and material are removed off-site and the homeowner is left with an insulated home with a gleaming finish.

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6.0 Is it tested and certified?

NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) is Ireland’s official standards body. Through the process of certification, suppliers confirm to their customers, their stakeholders and the wider public that their product or service meets the appropriate standards. In some circumstances, products or services cannot be sold without certification. For example, CE Marking is compulsory for a range of goods and services marketed in the European Economic Area which covers the European Union, plus the European Free Trade Area.

6.1 NSAI Agrément

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NSAI Agrément is responsible for Agrément assessment and certification. Formerly the Irish Agrément Board (IAB), it now operates as part of NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland). NSAI Agrément issue technical certification for new building materials, products and processes that do not have a long history of use and for which published national standards do not yet exist. While NSAI Agrément focuses on certification of new products and processes, NSAI Certification services and other certification bodies provide certification on issues such as health and safety, quality management systems.By having an external wall insulation system Agrément certified, it confirms that the system has undertaken a range of rigorous tests and has succeeded in passing all of them.The homeowner should ensure that the contractor who will undertake external insulation is NSAI approved and uses products that are fully NSAI certified.

7.0 How long is it guaranteed for?

Once the installation is complete, your contractor is obliged to furnish you with a 2 year installation warranty for labor and material.

Always ensure that this is signed on behalf of the contractor. In addition the majority of manufacturers will also provide a 10 year guarantee the materials.19

This is a very important document and should be kept with the deeds of the house.

8.0 Are there grants available?

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Yes! The Irish Government, through SEAI, wishes to encourage people to improve the energy performance of their homes by incentivising the cost of installing various upgrade measures. The Better Energy Homes scheme provides assistance to homeowners to reduce energy use, costs and greenhouse gas emissions and improve the comfort levels within their home. Grants for External Wall InsulationApartment (any) OR Mid- terrace House €1,800Semi-detached or End of Terrace €2,700Detached House €3,600

9.0 Useful Links

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland - www.seai.ieNational Standards Authority of Ireland - www.nsai.ieChurchfield Green Energy - www.churchfieldgreenenergy.ie

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10.0 Summary

In this day and age saving money is a key concern for most homeowners. By insulating your external walls, you are taking simple, affordable and effective actions to cut down on that heat loss and save money on your heating bills.Contact Churchfield Green Energy today to arrange a free survey with one of our Surveyors and for any queries that you may have.

Thank you,

Churchfield Green Energy Team

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