Across Europe, there is a large housing stock built before 1945, of which a high proportion have uninsulated floors and/or uninsulated solid walls. In the UK there are as many as 10 million homes with suspended timber floors; of these an estimated 95% remain uninsulated. Recent studies demonstrate that suspended timber floors can contribute as much as 1/4 of the total heat loss. Across Northern Europe, in countries such as France, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium, similar construction methods were used and there are many uninsulated suspended timber and concrete floors.
The heat-loss from suspended ground floors includes not just conductive heat loss to the ground and surroundings, but also the infiltration of cold air through the void and floor, driving heat loss through the rest of the property, even if the building has other energy efficiency measures such as double glazing and loft insulation. Such houses are expensive to heat but also suffer cold draughts and uneven temperatures significantly impacting occupants' comfort.
Effective underfloor insulation of existing buildings is one of the greatest challenges to Europe-wide retrofit activity aimed at improving energy performance. In the UK, less than 3% of 'hard to treat' properties with solid walls and suspended timber floors have had their floors insulated. Thermal insulation of floors is not only one of the greatest contributors to energy performance of older buildings, but is one of the most challenging measures to retrofit. Current methods for floor insulation are disruptive, labour-intensive and can be very costly. This severely limits the uptake and discourages most property owners from undertaking the work.
To resolve the challenges associated with the retrofit of underfloor insulation Q-Bot has developed an innovative process using a remotely controlled robotic device that can survey, assess and apply insulation. A robot is inserted through an air vent from outside the building, or by making a small access hatch from the inside of the property, and applies insulation to the underside of the floor. The robot can successfully navigate under floor voids and fit through gaps in sleeper walls by folding/unfolding. Q-Bot has shown that using this system underfloor insulation can be installed in 1-2 days, at a fraction of the cost and none of the hassle of traditional methods.
