refurbishment

The Encasement range of pipe boxing and casings for social housing is widely used across the UK to conceal interior and exterior pipework in fire sprinkler installations, heating system upgrade projects and low carbon district heating schemes.

There are a number of issues that come about from the fact that nearly 80% of homes in England are over 40 years old1 – and it is forecast that 80% of our existing building stock will still be in use in 20502!

The most common issues include condensation and damp, draughts, and excessive cold brought on by a lack of insulation which makes heating systems work harder for more money and less warmth. This leads many people to pay for wasted energy – which they struggle to afford as we continue to experience a cost of living crisis. According to the English Housing Survey 2022-23, over a quarter of tenants struggled to pay rent in both the private and social housing sectors3, so it is crucial that their property is energy efficient and air tight so they are able to retain heat within their property.

Ensuring that materials used on buildings are fire resistant is more important than ever, especially for residential buildings above 18m (11m in Scotland) in height, where UK building regulations now require the use of incombustible materials that resist the spread of fire.

KEIM silicate paints are fire resistant to the highest Euronorm classification (EN13501-1), with a classification of A2-s1, d0, ideal for specifiers, contractors, housing associations and councils involved with decoration and refurbishment of high rise buildings in the UK, to ensure compliance with current fire regulations.

Removal and replacement of lead water supply pipes is not only good for occupiers’ health, but part of UK water companies ‘Green Recovery Programme’.

Decorative casings and boxing products from UK Boxings have been used by housing associations and local authorities for well over 20 years to hide heating system, boiler, and fire sprinkler pipework to help improve a project’s finish, reduce time on site and save money.

EJOT’s growing range of innovative solutions for the installation of ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems) – also known as EWI (External Wall Insulation) systems – is playing an increasingly important role in enabling quality and performance to be optimised in external envelope refurbishment and new build projects. Mark Newell, EJOT UK’s ETICS specialist explains why.

Invicta Construction Finishes, a member of the CorkSol Independent Approved Applicator Network, have worked with North Yorkshire Council on a number of their social housing properties.