Lime Green and RetrofitWorks have come together to champion sustainable building practices.
“Low carbon, healthy and sustainable solutions are really important for all of our retrofit measures,” says Michael Huth, membership development manager, RetrofitWorks – a not-for-profit cooperative making UK homes healthier and more energy-efficient. We’re on a mission to change UK homes for the better, in terms of energy efficiency, health and carbon emissions, all with the greatest ease and at the lowest cost to homeowners and local authorities.” In early 2021, RetrofitWorks partnered with Lime Green, which manufactures and supplies healthy insulation systems for its members’ projects.
Building a community
“We work with homeowners to assess their properties, create a whole house retrofit plan and detail the relevant building performance requirements. We then put homeowners together with contractors to improve their home’s energy efficiency. We needed a partner who could work with us to solve pretty common but tricky problems in solid masonry buildings,” says Michael.
“Local communities are at the heart of our approach, so it was also important that our chosen partner aligned closely with our contractor members and understood the issues specific to the neighbourhoods they serve. At the same time, we needed a manufacturer who could ‘speak the language’ of the contractors and installers.
“We started with internal insulation systems – several manufacturers have their own systems and suggestions, but one stood out. Lime Green has been at the forefront of developing and manufacturing lime renders and plasters for some time at its hi-tech factory in Shropshire. The company manufactures the Warmshell Internal Wall Insulation (IWI) system, which has been tried and tested for many years. In our opinion, it’s one of the best solutions for solid masonry buildings and fits exactly what we need.
“Apart from its excellent products, of all the potential partners, no one did more than Lime Green to help build our internal insulation process. They were the only team able to support the installation of its materials with both offsite and onsite training for our contractors, as well as CPD training for our contractor members.”
CPD Training
“Every relevant RetrofitWorks’ contractor has been through Warmshell training – each course tailored to each group to ensure it’s installed effectively,” says Simon Ayres, co-founder and managing director, Lime Green.
“It all starts with the big picture: the challenges of retrofit and general building maintenance and how to overcome these. Then we consider what will work and what won’t. That’s the theory covered, and then we give hands-on experience installing the system. Contractors see for themselves where challenges might lie. These workshops usually last around 4-5 hours, with 3-4 hours spent on the practical, so contractors leave feeling confident about using Warmshell.”
Healthy materials
“We are closely aligned with PAS 2035, and we are keen to find suppliers that support our mission. Lime Green’s design and technical support, as well as their system guarantees, assure us there won’t be any compromise. That means we continue to deliver extremely high-quality retrofits for homeowners and tenants,” continues Michael.
“Low carbon, healthy and sustainable solutions are really key for all of our retrofit measures. Lime Green’s Internal Warmshell Insulation system – using woodfibre boards and Solo lime plaster – ticks all of those boxes. The manufacturer has been good in engaging and really getting to grips with what we and our contractors need. The team supports us onsite and keeps us up to date on how they’re improving their products. I would absolutely recommend the company’s products to others looking to sustainably retrofit or renovate their home or building project,” concludes Michael.
The Warmshell System
The Internal Warmshell Insulation System is a natural, healthy solution that insulates cold masonry walls from the inside. It consists of:
- Duro levelling coat: to create a breathable, wicking and draft-proof base for the insulation system.
- Warmshell board adhesive: to ensure the insulation bonds successfully with the Duro base layer.
- Warmshell woodfibre: highly-insulating and moisture-buffering woodfibre board.
- Solo Onecoat lime plaster: to give a breathable, decorative finish.
The system can then be painted with a mineral paint to retain breathability or left unpainted to achieve a more authentic lime finish.
Before you start using any internal insulation, you should first assess your building’s suitability, considering the overall building, its location and any technical requirements. Lime Green’s internal insulation checklist can help with this process and can be accessed via the link:
https://www.lime-green.co.uk/Documents/Warmshell%20Internal%20-%20IWI%20Site%20Assessment%20Checklist%20and%20Guide.pdf
An important partnership
“Working with RetrofitWorks is a delight because we’re all working to the same objective: making British buildings healthier and more energy-efficient by using sustainable insulation,” says Dominic Putnam, head of business development, Lime Green.
“Householders are looking for a ‘once-and-for-all’ fix to a problem that’s often dogged their property for years. RetrofitWorks removes the guesswork and helps them find the best course of action and signposts them a trusted contractor. That gives householders peace of mind, as well as saving them time and money.”
Reputable contractors interested in getting involved with RetrofitWorks to improve UK homes’ energy efficiency through retrofit, can find out more – or apply to become a contractor member – here: https://retrofitworks.co.uk/membership/contractor-membership
For more information about the Lime Green products discussed https://www.lime-green.co.uk/
