As part of our ongoing commitment to invest in our existing homes, Torus is currently working with award-winning company Q-Bot to install underfloor insulation in homes with suspended floors in the Walton and Anfield areas of Liverpool, to reduce heat lost through the floor and acting as a barrier to cold air draughts.
Insulation is an important part of creating a warm, healthy and energy efficient home. Heat lost through the ground floor makes up a large part of total heat loss in a property. In fact, ¼ of heat loss is due to uninsulated floors.
Q-Bot installs under floor insulation by inserting a robot beneath the floor. The robot is inserted from an access hatch either from inside the property, such as in under stairs cupboards or externally through an air vent.
The robot is remotely operated robots that spray foam insulation to the underside of suspended timber floors.
Compared to traditional methods, there is no need to take up the floor, eliminating the disruption of the work.
Access to the void is gained through access points from within the property, e.g. by lifting floorboards. The Q-Bot installers put a fan on the access point to ensure the void is well ventilated during the installation. Once inside the void, the robot applies insulation in controlled layers, typically to an average depth of 125mm.
Before any work is done, Q-Bot will initially carry out a quick survey, which takes about 30-60 minutes on the property to see if it is suitable for the works. During the survey they will survey your home to see if it is suitable, explain you the process and answer any questions.
Everyone who has a Q-Bot survey, even if you do not have the work will be entered into a prize draw to in a £250 ‘Love to Shop’ voucher.
These improvements will not only help the environment by reducing carbon emissions, it will also help our tenants save money on their fuel bills be reducing costs and be able to enjoy warm, comfortable homes.
These benefits mean an increase in the overall SAP rating for the property, which is how you can compare energy performance of different homes. The higher the SAP rating, the lower the fuel costs and the lower the associated emissions of carbon dioxide.
The surveys and insulation works will all be done with your safety as a priority, this is what to expect if we or one of our contractors visit your home:
The work is for Torus Liverpool tenants with homes with suspended floors.
“Absolutely brilliant! They did a great job with minimal disruption.”
Paul, Liverpool
“The installers clearly explained the installation process. They were very professional and polite.”
Kate, Liverpool
“Q-Bot’s floor insulation made such a great difference! My house is much warmer with no cold draughts anymore. I previously had an ice room and it is now warmer.”
Emily, Liverpool
“The house is a lot warmer and I’m saving around £20 per month in energy bills. In addition, Q-Bot’s installation also helped reducing damp within the house. Highly recommended!”
Kate, Liverpool
“The Q-Bot team was fast and efficient and I hardly noticed they were there. I noticed less cold draught coming up from my ground floor.”
Anon Customer, Liverpool
“My house is a lot warmer than it used to be. I was having the heating at 25 degrees to keep the place warm. Now it's only at 19 degrees and manages to keep it warm fine. Highly recommended.”
Anon Customer, Liverpool
We have contacted those tenants with homes (those with suspended floors) who would benefit from the underfloor insulation.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for those tenants who meet the criteria to make their homes warmer and more insulated without the usual disruption. The work is quick and we would really encourage those who fit the criteria take up the offer and we would like to assure everyone that the work is done fully Covid-19 secure.
To find out more contact David Kelly, Torus Project Manager on 0151 235 2558 or email David.Kelly@torus.co.uk
Torus are investing £129,000 in the Q-Bot project to help 100 homes to reduce heat loss, save 15 tonnes of carbon emissions and lower fuel bills, by using new innovative technology to install underfloor insulation.
The Q-bot project is one of five RetroFIT projects from Torus, which will see the group investing £3.2 million into 337 of their existing homes, helping to reduce their carbon emissions. Supporting the Liverpool City Region (LCC) goal to become a zero-carbon city region by 2040, the projects will also benefit tenants by improving energy efficiency, reducing fuel bills and making their homes warmer. Other projects include External Wall Insulation (EWI) on three sites in North Liverpool and an entire innovative electric heating retrofit project to Portland Gardens independent living scheme, near to the city centre.
The projects are part of the RetroFIT for the Future project, led by Sefton Council, which has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to retrospectively install low carbon solutions to homes to ensure they are future proof. Established by the European Union, ERDF helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding
The success and impact of the Q-bot and other RetroFIT projects will be used to inform future retrofitting projects and to support future adoption of innovative products into mainstream housing management programmes.
