What is the problem/issue being addressed?
The global energy efficiency (EE) investment in building was $90 bn in 2014 alone with a projection of increasing to $125 bn by 2020. Driving uptake of energy efficiency measures in older homes has been a focus for European government policy for some time, and analysis of the recent mass energy efficiency support schemes identified that attractive payback and modest upfront cost are the key-predictors of uptake. As such, fabric energy efficiency measures (that are usually regarded as improvements to the thermal performance of the building envelope), can be broadly categorised as follows:
i. Those with an attractive payback have been widely adopted with little room for incremental gains; e.g. loft insulation, cavity wall insulation
ii. Those with prohibitive capex (i.e. long payback), where uptake is dependent on government schemes which have been progressively withdrawn; e.g. solid wall insulation, double-glazing
Consequently, improving the energy efficiency of the European housing stock has slowed significantly, and the potential to further reduce domestic carbon emissions is not being realised. We identified uninsulated floors as a great untapped potential.
According to our researches, there are ~ 23.6 million homes across Europe that are built before the 1920s, having constructed with uninsulated suspended floors. They are responsible for up to 20% of the total heat loss in homes. Despite this large potential, their update is limited, due to the high upfront costs (€4-5,000 per home) and high disruption to residents (3-4 weeks).
To address this challenge, we have designed and developed an innovative under-floor insulation technology, “Ufloor”, to i) eliminate structural disruption; ii) cut costs by speeding up the installation process. Successful deployment of Ufloor will enable us to provide a solution that is 60% cheaper, 5x faster and 80% less disruptive than traditional floor insulation methods, saving up to 2,900 kWh/yr (€150/yr) to residents.
Why is it important for society?
Ufloor addresses two major societal challenges: carbon emission and fuel poverty. Significant carbon emission can be achieved by reducing the space heating demand with c. 2,900 kWh/yr per property. Equally, thanks to the low price point and low payback, Ufloor has the potential to address householders who otherwise could not afford improving the thermal performance of their homes. On a macro level, this means significant reduction in Fuel Poverty across Europe.
What are the overall objectives?
This completed feasibility study is the result of Ufloor’s ‘Phase 1’ project and has included all the relevant aspects concerning its future development: technical and commercial analysis, regulatory requirements, potential partners within the supply chain and end-users, and a careful planning of the future steps.
