Boston Mayflower has specified Knauf Insulation’s Supafil Party Wall insulation for around 50 of its semi-detached and terraced homes, after recognising the energy savings that can be made by preventing heat loss through the party walls.
Field tests have proven that heat is lost through uninsulated party cavity walls, due to a phenomenon known as party wall thermal bypass.
This occurs when cold air enters the uninsulated cavity at exposed edges. The cavity creates a chimney effect and the cold air rises as it is warmed by heat conducted through the leaves of the party wall from the adjoining homes.
It then escapes from the cavity to the external environment – either into the loft space or through the roof.
To combat this, Boston Mayflower made the decision to trial Knauf Insulation Supafil Party Wall insulation. The blown in solution is an unbonded, non-combustible glass mineral wool insulation.
It has been independently proven to effectively eliminate the air movement that causes party wall bypass – in both new and existing buildings – without compromising on acoustic performance.
Paul Benton, Asset Development Officer at Boston Mayflower, said: “When we embarked on the project to make our properties more energy efficient, Knauf Insulation approached us with details of its new retrofit party wall insulation product, Supafil Party Wall.
When we heard about the product’s benefits and how it reduces heat loss between two properties, we knew that it would be a great fit for our homes and would allow our current and future tenants to live comfortably in a warm house with lower bills.”
“Throughout this project, we tried to keep disruption to our tenants down to a minimum and as such, we were really impressed by how fast the insulation was actually installed. Aran Services installed Knauf Insulation’s party wall solution quickly and with ease.”
Supafil Party Wall insulation is a full-fill solution, ensuring intimate contact to both leaves of the separating wall.
The installation must be undertaken by an approved installer – and to ensure that the correct product is used, Supafil Party Wall is manufactured with a blue colour, for easy on-site identification and to promote compliance with Robust Details.
Chris Burch, Contracts Supervisor at Aran Services said: “We have worked with Knauf insulation for many years; specifying its products on other projects.
“The manufacturer has always been very helpful and a good partner to work with; from training me and my colleagues through to providing our installers with any necessary technical help when required.”
For more information on Knauf Insulation’s Supafil Party Wall visit www.knaufinsulation.co.uk/design/party-wall-insulation