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UK Experience in Retrofitting Cavity Walls Brussels, 7 th February 2012

UK Experience in Retrofitting Cavity Walls Brussels, 7 th February 2012. Gerry Miller CIGA . UK Building Stock. Cavities introduced circa 1900 to help prevent water penetration and became the predominant construction type circa 1930.

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UK Experience in Retrofitting Cavity Walls Brussels, 7 th February 2012

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  1. UK Experience in Retrofitting Cavity WallsBrussels, 7th February 2012 Gerry Miller CIGA

  2. UK Building Stock • Cavities introduced circa 1900 to help prevent water penetration and became the predominant construction type circa 1930. • Initially these cavities were unfilled, although changes to Building Regulations requirements for wall meant that some had built-in insulation from 1980, and by 2002 almost all were insulated. • As a consequence there around 10 million properties in GB were built with unfilled cavities contributing to heat loss. • In the early 1990s the Government realised it needed to insulate these cavity walls if it was to meet its climate change and fuel poverty objectives.

  3. Retrofit CWI • Since the Building Regulations replaced local Bye laws in 1965 UF Foam CWI systems for retrofitting CWI had been used on a small scale. • Bead and Mineral Wool systems then took over, and by 1980 Mineral Wool was the predominant system. • But the cavity wall industry (CWI) remained small, and, unlike loft insulation, the technology was relatively complex and poorly understood by consumers.

  4. CIGA Background • A Government survey of 30,000 properties in 1994 showed that insulating the cavity walls made the homes warmer to live in and had no detrimental effect on the structure of the house. • Despite the low level of problems, it identified a lack of consumer confidence in installer Guarantees as a key barrier to increasing uptake. • In 1995 CIGA was established by the major manufacturers to provide quality assurance and protect customers by offering a simple, easily understood guarantee’s that was uniform across the industry. • As a consequence the technology was specified in successive Government policy initiatives including • HEES Grants focused on alleviating fuel poverty • Energy Supplier Obligations focused on Carbon and fuel poverty

  5. Outcome • Since 1994 installations have increased 5 fold from 100,000 to over 500,000 pa with no significant increase in the incidence of problems.

  6. Contribution of CWI • The main policy, the supplier obligation, now costs circa £1.5bn pa across all energy efficiency measures, of which CWI will deliver for circa 35% of 108Mt CO2 Lifetime savings.

  7. So what is CIGA? • CIGA is an Independent body with its own secretariat, managed by a Council of System designers and Installers. • CIGA has its own technical resources • CIGA provides customers with assurance that the work will be completed according to best practice by providing technical guidance and Rules installers must follow • CIGA provides householders and Social Landlords with an independent, uniform and dependable guarantee. • CIGA has all 12 System Designers and 200 Installers as members • Around 97% of all retrofit CWI installation in the UK are covered under the CIGA scheme and a CIGA or equivalent Guarantee is a requirements of all Schemes and Grants • Over 5 million homes, or 1 in 5, now have the comfort of a CIGA Guarantee

  8. Guarantee • Available for CWI retrofitted to traditional masonry/masonry constructions in private and social ownership • Available only for work completed according to the technical requirements of the Scheme • Covers defects in materials and workmanship for 25 years • Benefits transferable to subsequent property owners • Maximum liability £15,000 per Guarantee • Provides that in the unlikely event of a problem that is not resolved by the Installer within 1 month then CIGA will step in.

  9. Scheme Rules • Obligations on System Designer Members: • Hold appropriate Technical approvals for their systems • Assess installing companies • Train, assess and card technicians and surveyors • Carry out regular 2nd party surveillance of installations carried out using their system • Obligations of Installer members • Hold and comply with an appropriate CWI approval incorporating regular 3rd party surveillance • Comply with CIGA’s Best Practice Guides • Train technicians • Apply for Guarantees • Investigate any complaints promptly

  10. Technical Requirements • Scheme is founded on the principle that: • If certified, tested, systems • are installed in appropriately constructed buildings • That have been individually assessed as being suitable • according to Best Practice Guidance • by vetted registered installers • using trained technicians • and are subject to 1st, 2nd and 3rd party surveillance Then performance will as designed and problems and potential claims will be minimised

  11. Remaining CWI Potential • There remain around 6.2m empty cavities in the UK, sufficient to maintain current levels of activity for the next decade. • Some of these are non traditional constructions or are more difficult and expensive to fill, and will require further R&D investment. • Thereafter the focus will shift to more expensive and disruptive solid wall treatments, requiring a change in funding to a new model.

  12. The Future – Green Deal • UK Government are launching the “Green Deal” market mechanism as the new model to increase uptake of higher cost measures such as Solid Wall Insulation. • Based on installations at no up front cost to consumer, through loans repaid from savings made through fuel charges. • Green Deal will build on existing schemes such as CIGA and embed consumer protection frameworks. • It is hugely innovative but is complex and may take time to develop: • Introduces additional accreditation complexity • Strong focus on Solid Wall Insulation but not CWI or Loft insulation so introduces additional market uncertainty for these measures

  13. Brave New World? ? ?

  14. Conclusions • CWI has proved a hugely successful technology and make a significant contribution to cutting carbon and alleviating fuel poverty and potential remains • CIGA has played a key part in this success and will continue to evolve and adapt to new circumstances. • Extension of model and launch of “SWIGA” Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (“SWIGA”) covering Internal, External and Hybrid Solid Wall Insulation • Integration of CWISC “Competent Persons” Scheme to allow Building Control notifications to be provided from Guarantee data. • Launch of CWI Guarantee for Commercial Buildings • Work looking at safe filling of “Non Standard” or “hard to treat” cavities where supported by product testing

  15. Lessons from the UK Key factors to successful roll-out of mass market CWI: Appropriate Government policies to create demand and provide correct signals Robust Consumer Protection Arrangements Active support of all manufacturers or “System Designers” Availability of Tested certified Systems Enforcement of detailed technical guidance Incorporation of 1st, 2nd and 3rd party surveillance of work A widely accepted, uniform, dependable Guarantee so that Consumers will have confidence in the technology An industry willing to be proactive, invest and implement best practice

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