This year we seem to have broken from the tradition of awful, wet, mild weather driving on into December being followed by a sudden plunge in temperatures with lots of frost. It is November the 26th and it is now, definitely, cold!! The up side is that it is now dry and the projects that we have supplied large quantities of Unger-Diffutherm Wood Fibre Insulation Systems to can push on without getting so wet.
Once again we have had another very busy year with turnover in the last 8 months 10% higher than for the whole of last year. I say this not to boast (as our turnover is barely a drop in the ocean of the construction industry) but to highlight the shift towards the very high performance and ecologically sound systems that we are supplying. It also highlights the realisation from the professionals within the industry that these products enable us to simply and economically achieve the high levels of performance now required for new construction.
Much of the Unger-Diffutherm we are supplying is going in to Certified Passiv Haus schemes which are now beginning to pop up far more regularly, which brings me on to my next point, the disparity between what is required and what is affordable. Passiv Haus as a standard has gained far more credibility than high levels of the CSH, mainly because it is a very well defined and established standard, but it is being promoted as a premium product that only the wealthy or those with a lot of foresight can afford.
Whilst the design side of Passiv Haus is rather more rigourous than for a standard build, the construction side is actually, potentially, very simple. The build can consist of a simple timber frame filled with UdiFLEX with an OSB inner face with the UdiFRONT system fixed to the outside. No vapour barriers, no airtightness membranes, no complex detailing. Schemes that we are supply the UdiFRONT and UdiTOP systems to are managing to build at a cost comparable to normal construction at around £950 sq.m of floor area.
Occasionally, it takes these times of austerity to change. Applying a bit of thought to a situation can create far better solutions without the need to throw vast sums of money at it. Those involved in these projects are true pioneers, showing that it is possible to change that way we build for the better and that it can be done within the confines of a normal budget. There really are people out there, doing large scale construction, who are conscientious and diligent enough to do it.
Change is good!!!! Honest.