Wetherby posts response to Zero Carbon Hub Report – ‘Overheating in Homes – The Big Picture’
Wetherby Building Systems, the leading provider of solid wall insulation (SWI) systems, is warning of the misleading nature of some comments within a new report published by the Zero Carbon Hub in June.
The report argued that retrofitting homes with energy efficiency measures, including wall insulation, is contributing to homes overheating. While addressing the issue of overheating homes is an important one, insulation cannot be considered a cause.
Commenting on the contentious issue, Joe Ragdale, technical manager for Wetherby, said: “The way insulation works is very simple; as well as keeping the heat in, it also helps to keep heat out. Homes that have been fitted with external wall insulation are actually in a better position during hot spells, as the heat will not be able to transfer through the walls to heat the property, so these homes will in fact stay cooler.”
“Insulating our thermally inefficient housing stock is vital to achieving the UK’s carbon emission targets and the entire industry has been calling for the government to invest in a long-term strategy for improving domestic energy efficiency. However, reports such as this are only serving to give the government reasons to keep stalling, resulting in millions of poorly insulated properties still not getting the improvements that are desperately needed.”