Penultimate Report

The Thermal Reflections system has now been commissioned and is operating successfully providing a very effective under floor heating source. The system also supplies the upstairs radiators and domestic hot water. The improvement in the comfort level of the dwelling is quite remarkable and monitoring its long term effectiveness will be of great interest.

The heat exchange unit for the Thermal Reflections system has been housed in a B & Q garden store, this can seen in one of the photos prior to completion of the installation. This proved to be a very effective “off the shelf” method for providing a weather proof enclosure.

The installation of slatted shelving in the reconfigured airing cupboard and shelves to the under stairs cupboard are in place. The new energy efficient fridge freezer and washing machine have also been delivered and installed as part of the drive to reduce energy consumption.

Externally the new replacement porch is in place, pictures of which are attached.

There is now a short break before the main bedroom works are undertaken to allow the resident to make suitable preparations.

Week 12 Report - 15th October 2010

We are now on the home run, the scaffolding has been fully struck this week and the Thermal Reflections system is being installed. Apart from works to fit the internal wall insulation in the main bedroom, the internal works are in the final stages.

Discussions have been taking place regarding storage because the works have resulted in the loss of some of the existing space. The installation of slatted shelving in the reconfigured airing cupboard in envisaged as well as fitting some shelves in the under stairs cupboard.

Photos show the building without the scaffolding and the 2 panels that were installed on Friday.

The improvement internal comfort levels are now very noticeable and this is without the under floor heating in operation. The roof PV panels continue to silently generate electricity - it’s also most magic!

Week 11 Report - 8th October 2010

Again the weather has frustrated progress on the external insulation works with 3 days lost. Works resumed at the end of the week and application of the top coat is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week. Furthermore, the new highly thermally insulated front door has now been installed.

The finishing’s to the kitchen and bathroom areas are now being progressed with the new floor coverings be laid on Friday and decorations in the process of being made good. Following discussions it was agreed to relocate one of the base units to improve the layout of the kitchen, the change will allow the fridge freezer to be more conveniently positioned.

On Monday and Tuesday the damp proofing works to the under stairs cupboard were undertaken. These additional works entailed the removal of the existing wall finishing’s, damp proof chemical injection and then re-plastering.

Week 10 Report - 1st October 2010

The living room has now been handed back and the improved comfort level of the room is noticeable. The Spacetherm to the internal face of the front wall and the external insulation on the side wall is having the desired effect.

The remaining areas of under floor heating have been installed and as predicted the kitchen, bathroom and WC were time consuming. We are now looking forward to the installation of the Thermodynamic Block and Solar Panels which will supply the heating and hot water.

Unfortunately the weather has continued to frustrate the progress of the external wall insulation; however the long awaited external doors supplied by Masterdor have now been installed. Some progress has been possible.

The PV panels continue to generate “free” electricity as the photo testifies, regularly monitoring the readings has become a bit of an obsession. I really think I need to get out more!

Week 9 Report - 24th September 2010

Works to the living room continued this week with the wall papering and decorations. New laminate flooring has been obtained and will be fitted on Saturday enabling the room to be handed back to the Resident on Monday.

The remaining areas of under floor heating will be installed next week, these being the kitchen, bathroom and WC. These smaller areas are more intricate and time consuming to install, once completed a very disruptive element of the works will be behind us.

Works to install the external wall insulation system is now underway, unfortunately the weather has not been favourable and time has been lost. This weeks photos show the external walls after they had been “washed” prior to the fixing of the insulation boarding, with the grime removed they looked crisp and almost newly painted.

27th September 2010: Solar Gain Heat Pump Update

Layout for the panels has been finalised and the factory has confirmed that this is acceptable and will not compromise the efficiency of the system in any way.

Paul from Carbon Energy Solutions is on site now attaching the threaded bar into the gable end of the building. This should be finished today whereupon the rending can continue tomorrow as discussed.

The panels have arrived safely on site and the pallet with the thermodynamic block, fixing brackets and copper distributor pipework will follow later today.

Stuart Dixon
Managing Director
Thermal Reflections

Week 8 Report - 17th September 2010

The dining room was handed back to the resident on Tuesday which is a notable milestone. From the photos it can been that in this room things are returning to normal.

We have now moved on to the living room and in here there has been some unexpected works. With full access to the room an inspection was made by a damp and timber treatment specialist on Wednesday. They recommend improvements to the ventilation of the under floor void, this was work was undertaken and completed within 24 hours. Arrangements had been previously made for the under floor heating to be installed on Friday morning and postponement was not option.

The photos show the under floor heating during its installation on Friday.


Materials for the external wall insulation system were delivered to our yard on Friday and will be transported to site as progress requires. It can be seen that the volume of material is considerable and that storage on site was not option.

Week 7 Update - 10th September 2010

This week has been pivotal with the removal of the top lift of scaffolding in preparation for the installation of the external insulation system. With the top lift of scaffolding out of the way it has been possible to photograph the PV panels from ground level. A photo is attached of the meter showing the units feed back so far.

Very good progress had been made on the dining room. The walls have been re-papered, the floor insulation laid, under floor heating fitted and the new flooring installed. The decorations and re-laying of the laminate flooring is to continue over the weekend and the room will be ready for Tuesday.


The completion of this first room will provide the resident with an undisturbed area were things can get back to normal.

Of other interest we have included photos of the resident’s roses which are spectacular, the photos do not do them justice; the garden is a feast for the eyes.

15th Sep 2010 Update : Damp issue

On stripping the floor and wall in the living room, an area of damp has been revealed. Arrangements have been made for a specialist to visit site tomorrow afternoon to survey and provide a report. Whilst we are anxious to speedily progress the works, it has been decided that it would be best to take expert opinion before agreeing a way forward.

Week 6 Update - 3rd September 2010

The final inspection of the PV panels has been completed and they are now happily generating electricity. Painting of the fascia boards has been undertaken after completion of the roofing works.

The making good of the decorations to the dining room is now in hand. This has proved to more than was expected as the existing wallpaper cannot be matched, it has been agreed to strip of the existing and re-paper with new.

This is to be followed by the installation of the floor insulation, under floor heating and flooring.

All being well in the very near future will shall be handing the completed room back to the Resident.

Included in the photos this week are the German manufactured insulation panels.

Week 5 Update: 27th August 2010

The roof works were completed early in the week ahead of the torrential rain that was experienced. On a positive note the new roof coverings and PV panel passed this impromptu testing. The internal electrical installation for the PV panels was fitted ready for commissioning early next week.

With completion of the roof works the top lift of scaffolding can be struck and the external insulation commence. Prior to this a final inspection is to be made and any minor items dealt with. In preparation for the external insulation the rear and side walls below ground level have been further exposed.

Again the internal works continued with the finishing and decorating of the Spacetherm wall boarding that has been installed in the dining room. The making good and decorating of the reconfigured airing cupboard has been completed. As the Resident could not be left without hot water reinstatement had to be worked around the new equipment. Unfortunately the opportunity for the painter to have an empty cupboard to work on never arose.

Delivery of the German manufactured floor insulation panels has been confirmed for next Tuesday, this now enables the installation of the under floor heating and new flooring.

Week 4 Update: 20th August 2010

Works to remove the existing roof coverings got underway this week, inevitably the dry weather of the previous weeks was in retreat. As described in last weeks report the existing slating, battening and felt had to be removed and insulation board installed between the rafters.

Although a couple of days was lost to rain good progress was made with the in roof PV panel being installed.

With the new windows now in place the installation of the Spacetherm wall boarding commenced. The first room to be tackled was the dining room, whilst this is a high performance material it is also dusty when handled and worked. As suspected this was a relatively slow process and great care was taken to keep dust levels to a minimum.

Reinstatement and decoration of the internal reveals to a number the new windows was also completed.

13th August 2010: Week 3 Update

This week the scaffolding was erected in preparation for the roofing work and to facilitate the window replacement. The two Scaffolders were very considerate and courteous to the resident who was at home the day the scaffolding was erected.

The roof works require the removal of the existing slating, battening and felt to install the insulation board between the rafters.

This work is obviously weather sensitive as would be any domestic re-roofing project. Installing the insulation from the outside was chosen to avoid the major disruption that would occur with the removal and reinstatement of the existing internal sloping and horizontal ceilings.

During this operation the in-roof PV panels are to be installed.

The existing windows were replaced this week with the new high performance units as can be seen from the attached photos. With the new windows in place the installation of the Spacetherm wall boarding can commence, this is likely to be a relatively slow process requiring careful handling to keep dust levels to a minimum.

6th August 2010: Week 2 Update

This week like last week has been productive.

The existing porch was demolished on Wednesday together with the breaking out of a 250mm wide strip of the concrete hardstanding to the rear and side elevations. The removal of the concrete being required to facilitate the installation of the external insulation below ground level. The arising debris was also removed from site on the day. We had been mindful of the noise and potential disturbance these works would cause and the plan to limit this to a single day was achieved.


The new WC pan and cistern was installed at the beginning of the week, as anticipated the existing pan broke when it was removed. The WC ceiling has been removed and the new insulation boarding installed. This has now been re-boarded and the drylining finish applied


The plumber continued with the installation of the pipe work for the Thermal Reflections system, the routing of the pipe work being chosen to minimise the disturbance to the resident as well providing easy access for future maintenance. The existing gravity hot water cylinder has been replaced with the new improved pressurized version. This was achieved within a working day ensuring that the resident’s hot water supply was not compromised.

The existing cylinder cupboard was adapted to accommodate the new larger unit. The resident has expressed some concern at the apparent loss of storage space; we have reassured her that when the plumbing works are fully completed we shall be installing slatted shelving.


Preparatory works have been undertaken to the under stairs cupboard ready to receive the ground floor heating manifold. The area has suffered from damp issues which we have attributed to moisture rising up through the wall finishings, to mitigate this a narrow band of plaster has been removed to break the pathway for this rising moisture. We anticipate that this, along with background heating from the manifold and installing ventilation grills, will greatly improve the situation.

The laminate flooring to the dining room has been lifted and set aside for reuse; an inspection will be made next week to ascertain the condition of the existing timber floor construction.

It is worth noting that as expected a fair amount of time is spent cleaning and tidying up. Whilst we cannot achieve a dust free result every effort is being made.

4th August 2010: Week 2 Update

A site visit by CEN on the Wednesday of week 2 saw the successful demolition of the porch to make way for the new sun trap – a highly glazed porch to add solar gain and natural daylighting to the property.


The new hot water cylinder and upstairs pipework was also being installed.

The resident was getting on well with the workmen and seemed pretty happy providing dust was kept to minimal levels and that doors remained closed to prevent dust getting inside the house.

30th July 2010: Week 1 Update

All went well during week 1 with the majority of the works scheduled whilst the resident was away completed.

The removal of the sink area kitchen units exposed patches of damp plasterwork. Collective opinion is that this is a result of previous repairs being carried out using “carlite” plaster material, which is hygroscopic and attracts moisture. The defective plaster was removed and repairs undertaken.


The new raised flooring under the kitchen units was installed and the units refitted. The electrical 1st fix was also completed for the “back up” plinth heater which is to be fitted. Reinstatement of the splash back wall tiling was carried as well.

The “lean to” cupboard door was removed and the opening blocked up, this now enables the external porch to be demolished.


The bathroom ceiling was removed and the new insulation boarding installed. This has now been re-boarded ready for a drylining finish to be applied.

We had programmed for the WC to be raised during this first week, but unfortunately the existing pan has been bedded in mortar. Whilst the bedding in of WC’s pans is not uncommon, it was not expected. Even with the greatest of care the pan is likely to break when removed. As a result a new pan has been ordered and the raising of the WC has been postponed till next week.


The plumber and electrician were in attendance on Thursday, the kitchen sink was re-plumbed and the 1st floor bedroom radiators hung in position. The plumber also assessed the practicalities involved in installing the new pipe work and under floor heating manifold. Generally we have established routes for the new pipe work that will cause the least disruption.

The electrician disconnected the external porch as well as the storage heaters which have now been removed.

About midday on Friday we embarked on a mass clean up in readiness for the resident’s return. Whilst the property was left in good order the inevitable builder’s dust is still settling.

Rod Selby
Jenner Contractors

27th July 2010: Retrofit Works Update

The tenant is now away on holiday, last week she moved a lot of her possessions and furniture into the temporary store and did a tremendous job so that the contractors were left with more than adequate room to manoeuvre.


The kitchen units containing the sink and washing machine space were removed and part of the rear and bathroom walls were found to be damp, this accounts for the musty smell in the cupboard the resident had commented on. Croydon Council attended in the afternoon as arranged to inspect and a way forward was agreed, we are now installing the raised flooring and shall be refitting the units.

The bath was also discussed; consensus of opinion is to leave in it position installing the insulation as planned. When the insulation, underfloor heating and new flooring is completed the bath edge will be lower.


The spacetherm pp was delivered yesterday, an interesting material, it’s worth a look (see picture above).

Rod Selby
Jenner Contractors

Pre-Retrofit Pressure Testing

Results of the air tightness testing gave an average result of 6.0 m³/h.m² - pretty good for a property of this age.
[Please note that this image is from another scheme]

Pre-Retrofit Thermal Imaging

Results of the thermal imaging showing a gerat deal of heat being lost through the windows.

16th July 2010: Storage container

A large storage container was delivered to site for the resident to begin packing away her personal belongings

14th July 2010: Final site inspection

Carried out by scaffolding, roofing and window suppliers and the roving foreman.

2nd June 2010: Floor insulation

It was decided that a practical and cost effective solution to installing the floor insulation would be to install standard sized VIPs panels where possible and 40mm Kingspan phenolic insulation in the left over spaces. This would have negligible affect on the overall u-value and could potentially have a positive affect should bespoke VIPs panels be produced and then found to not fit properly due to inaccuracies in measurements, thus leaving gaps in the floor where no insulation would lie. This solution will also be much more cost-effective than having expensive bespoke panels made. Finally it seemed a much more practical solution on site as it is easy to cut and re-use pieces of phenolic insulation.

22nd April 2010: The design team and technology installers assemble

On the 22nd April the design team and installers met at the property with the resident to carry out further feasibility surveys.

Having all contractors together on site proved to be a very valuable exercise enabling the different specialists to discuss how their equipment would fit together, timings for works and allocation of responsibility for each part of the project. For example the external wall insulation company were able to discuss with the thermodynamic solar energy supplier how the panels could be fixed to the external wall through the insulated wall system and where to locate pipe-runs. Opportunities were identified to reduce the amount of visible pipe-work and co-ordinate the two work programmes saving time as the project develops.

All the works will take place with the resident in-situ. It is recognised that this will be disruptive especially elements such as insulating the floor and some of the internal walls. Throughout the project the resident has been kept fully informed of the proposed works. The day gave her opportunity to meet the different contractors, highlight her concerns and input into the specification for different elements of the works, e.g what window finishes she would like.

Difficult issues such as temporary sanitation and cooking facilities and protection of personal belongings were discussed and solutions reached with full cooperation of the resident.

The team is now moving rapidly forward with the detailed specifications, and works programme.

Project Aims

We hope to demonstrate a whole house solution which will result in significant carbon and primary energy reduction. The solution was developed to be replicable across a large proportion of the UK housing stock, and to enable UK businesses to meet a national scale up.

The property has been extensively analysed and monitored to give a baseline starting point energy consumption.

Our modelling shows that the measures to be carried out will reduce fuel bills by 94%

The Property
The solid-walled semi detached house is traditionally regarded as hard-to-treat. There are no wall cavities to be filled and the façade has architectural features that we do not want to change.

The works
Insulation will be added to all the heat loss surfaces.

A thin layer of high performance aerogel will be added internally to the front façade. External wall insulation will be added to other surfaces and finished to look the same as the current walls.

Vacuum insulated panels will be added to the floor, stopping heat loss and draughts, without a large increase in floor height.

Underfloor heating will replace the storage heaters. Hot water and space heating will be provided by a heat pump whilst electricity will be generated from solar panels on the roof.

The cold porch will be replaced with a sun lobby which will capture spring and autumn heat, but not allow heat loss or gain to the house in the winter or summer.

It is important to understand that this is our tenant’s home. All the works will be carried out whilst she is still living in the property to the highest standards with disruption kept to a minimum.

Phase II

We have won funding to implement the Retrofit Works. Great news. Well done everyone. Time to put our theories into practice!

3D model showing front of property after retrofit works

3D model showing rear of property after retrofit works