How Robot Technology Provides an Innovative and Affordable Way to Insulate Suspended Timber Floors
By Peter Woodcock
Director, ECON Polyurethanes
If you are a housing provider, such as a housing association, local authority or a private landlord, the Q-Bot robotic insulation device may greatly assist you with meeting your carbon targets, reducing energy costs and improving your energy ratings. Q-Bot provides a revolutionary, hassle-free way to insulate suspended timber floors.
In this article we examine the Q-Bot robot device under the following headings:
What is Q-Bot?
How does Q-Bot work?
Q-Bot Accreditations and Awards
What organisations are using Q-Bot?
What type of insulation does the Q-Bot use?
What energy savings are achieved with under-floor insulation?
What is Q- Bot?
Q-Bot is a small robotic device that is placed in the crawl space under a suspended timber floor. It spray-applies foam insulation in a layer from beneath the timber floor providing both insulation and airtightness in a single application. The installation allows for a sufficient gap between the insulation and the ground below to allow for the required ventilation. Q-Bot is then controlled remotely.
How does Q-Bot work?
The robot is placed in the crawl space or void through a small access hatch in the floorboards. The robot travels through the void, scanning and creating a 3D image of the under floor to ensure the property is suitable. Next, the robot sprays insulating foam to the underside of the floorboards. The insulation expands and fits the shape of the floor, ensuring that no gaps remain. The insulation forms a layer under the floorboards while allowing for a ventilation gap between the insulation and the ground beneath to protect from damp and mould. Finally, the installation is scanned and checked to verify that the work has been completed successfully. You can see the Q-Bot in action in this short video.
The installation process ordinarily takes just a single day and is immediately effective, reducing draughts, improving thermal comfort, and even reducing impact sound.
Q-Bot Accreditations and Awards
The Q-Bot solution is fully approved and accredited by the BBA and as a result, eligible for ECO3 innovation funding for D,E,F,G properties. It has many other Accreditations and Awards.
What organisations are using Q-Bot?
As part of a drive to improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel poverty and achieve EPC band C for properties before the 2030 deadline, many housing providers including Clarion, The Guinness Partnership, Nottingham City Homes, are working with Q-Bot to install under-floor insulation across their housing stock. You can read customer testimonials here.
Q-Bot and its housing partners already have had a positive impact on reducing fuel poverty by making homes warmer and more energy efficient. This means significantly improving the living conditions of tenants whilst reducing their carbon footprint. Q-Bot has delivered affordable warmth and improved energy efficiency to 1000’s of homes across the country.
What type of insulation does the Q-Bot use?
Q-Bot’s under floor insulation is a spray-applied closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation suitable for suspended ground floors. Its low lambda value delivers significant improvements in thermal performance within a limited space. The spray insulation is provided by ECON Polyurethanes, and manufactured by BASF at their Derby Plant.
What energy savings are achieved with under-floor insulation?
The installation of floor insulation drastically improves a properties thermal comfort with fewer cold draughts and more evenly distributed temperatures within the house.
- Heat Loss Reduction Across 100 UK homes, it was shown that Q-Bot’s under-floor insulation reduces heat loss by 79% through the floor and cold draughts by 31% for the whole house. The comparison of annual energy savings of Q-Bot’s floor insulation with a range of standard retrofit measures was calculated using SAP.
- Annual Energy Saving Q-Bot’s solution was shown to be one of the most cost-effective measures, at an average cost of £255 per EPC point including ECO3 funding or £400 per EPC point excluding ECO3 funding. It also produced an average annual energy saving of £150, with properties saving up to £665 per year.
- Energy Rating Improvement The average EPC improvement across the range of properties was 6 points in the UK.
For the 8m homes with uninsulated suspended floors in the UK, Q-Bot provides a cost-effective solution to upgrade homes whilst helping housing providers reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their targets.
Like to find out more about Q Bot?
Talk to us about your insulation needs
Call us on UK +44 (0) 1233 229500 or IRL +353 (1) 4019729 or email Peter at peter@econ-pu.com if you’d like to discuss your insulation project. Below is a list of some area in which we help.
- U-Value Calculations
- Condensation Risk Analysis
- Psi Calculations, Build Details
- CPD Seminars
- Cost Guidance,
- Product Suitability
- Regulation Compliance
- Provide CAD and PDF drawings specific to your build.
If you would like to receive these updates to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here https://econbp.com/
Follow our LinkedIn Company Page here.
©ECON Polyurethanes. This document is intended to be a general guide only.
About ECON Polyurethanes
ECON Polyurethanes is the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor of BASF construction polyurethanes. From our offices in Dublin and Kent, we coordinate the specification and application of BASF manufactured polyurethane spray, injection and specialist coatings through a network of accredited contracting companies.
