Another Award Win in the Bag for Wetherby!

Wetherby have been celebrating in style at the annual Knowsley Business and Regeneration awards just recently after picking up the prize in the regeneration category.

The win was for a large scale refurbishment project in Kirkby, Merseyside where 2050 privately owned homes benefitted from external wall insulation installed as the primary energy saving measure in a £15.5m regeneration project. Initiated by Wetherby Building Systems Ltd (WBS) and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council (KMBC), the scheme was adopted to improve the energy efficiency of properties in the area.

Phases 1 & 2 of the scheme have proved to be the largest successful private housing project in the UK to be completed under the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) initiative and to date, 2050 properties have had Wetherby EWI systems installed, 700 fitted with new central heating boilers and 650 have received loft insulation.

The application of EWI has seen residents’ heating bills reduced by up to £375 per annum, one of the key benefits homeowners outlined in the positive feedback provided on the project. Each property was entitled to receive up to £12,000 worth of energy efficient installation works, which was provided completely ‘free’ to homeowners under the fully funded scheme.

Following the application of EWI, the properties are now recognised as ‘thermally efficient’, with a dramatic reduction in U-Value; with a previous value of 2.1 W/m2K, each home in the area now has a U-Value of 0.3 W/m2K. In essence this means the homes are now 7 times more energy efficient!

To achieve these results, the EWI system used for the project comprised of 60mm insulation boards, which were rendered with a dry dash finish in four different decorative aggregates. This resulted in a fresh and durable finish to the properties. The aesthetic benefits of this system have given the community a real sense of large sale regeneration, along with a renewed pride in their community.

It is anticipated that when the new ECO phase is completed in January 2014, 2450 homes in total will have been fully insulated, together with additional measures, bringing the total inward investment to a projected £19m within Kirkby. Impressively, the improvement measures carried out under the Kirkby Regeneration Programme have all been delivered within a 2 year timeframe.

Wetherby are ecstatic with the win and also eagerly awaiting the results for the Energy Awards 2013, were Kirkby again has been shortlisted for two separate categories.