Wetherby Transforms North Rowner

Wetherby system has recently transformed 50 private properties in Rowner Gosport under the new Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.  A further 35 are due to be completed shortly.  A further 400 are to be considered in the next few months and discussions are in place with homeowner, managing agents, landlords and tenants to extend the ECO opportunities.

The Rowner estate was built by the ministry of defence for naval personnel and their families during the 1960’s. The estate was constructed using the 3 M Jespersen construction, a non-traditional method of mass construction intended to house mid to large families.

The properties are notoriously difficult to heat, susceptible to damp ingress and expensive to run. Householders were spending up to an astonishing £80 a week on heating bills in the winter months.

North Rowner has suffered from a lack of financial investment which has seen the building fabric deteriorate.  Gosport Borough Council, are delighted to see funding being available for external wall insulation and have been looking for a solution to improve this part of Rowner for some time.  Wetherby together with Wall Coatings Ltd, (a local Gosport insulation Company) identified the houses and presented the idea to Gosport’s Energy Efficiency Officer who was delighted that there would be investment and insulation to properties at Rowner.  It is a good to know that a local company employing local people are working in Gosport.

Wetherby’s Epsiwall system was specified for the project. WBS Epsitherm was the insulant of choice, mainly because of its cost effectiveness and thermal performance. This was finished with WBS silicone K thin coat render in an off white, which gives a fresh look to the estate. The thermal properties of the system considerably reduced the U-values of the houses from 2.02W/m²K to an impressive 0.3W/m²K meaning that the properties would be much easier and cheaper to heat.

The ‘makeover’ to the Rowner estate will make a huge difference not only to the look of the properties but the insulation will cut down on the energy used making it more affordable for those that live there.