Environmentally Friendly Materials

Insulating your home is the best home improvement you can make for the environment.

Oct

2016

ROI on ‘invisible’ Home Improvements

What’s the ROI on ‘invisible’ Home Improvements Like Sound Insulation

When you fit an extension on your house or perhaps a loft conversion, the return on investment is easy to quantify, but what about invisible renovations such as sound proofing and insulation?

The answer to this depends a lot on your local environment, the amount of noise likely to affect your property and how old the property is.

Of course installing sound insulation isn’t going to add value in the same way as renovations you can see but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t install it. Often in older houses it can sometimes be essential to install soundproofing to make sure a house appeals to buyers or tenants in the first place.

Sometimes you can highlight the work that has been done as part of the sales documentation so that potential purchasers will see what kind of benefits they are getting from your soundproofing upgrades. You may even want to keep photographs of the work being done too.

If you intend to stay in your home, then having a quitter environment in which to spend time away from work can improve your health and sense of wellbeing – and who can put a price on that!

Oct

2016

Global Demand For Rainscreen Cladding Grows

International demand for rainscreen cladding is set to soar as research reveals that it could reach USD 14.05 billion by 2024.

The main purpose of installing rainscreen cladding is to create a clear cavity between itself and a building which serves to protect it from the environment while allowing a building to ‘breathe’. This creates a healthy and protected environment for the people occupying the building.

The growth in the market is due to a range of factors including increased demand for lightweight insulation materials globally and which in turn is driven by an expansion in residential and commercial construction activities in emerging markets.

As the world’s governments commit to tough new rules aimed at reducing consumption of fossil fuels, energy saving is once again high on the agenda. Rainscreen cladding helps prevent water infiltration as well as aid the transfer of heat within buildings.

The UK has one of the biggest markets for cladding systems in Europe with extensive usage in commercial office buildings as well as residential housing.

Our rainscreen cladding is durable for up to 60 years and is a low maintenance way to improve energy efficiency and insulation in your home or office.

Jul

2016

How Can I Reduce Noise Using Environmentally Friendly Materials?

This is a question that is often asked about sound insulation when people are concerned about the types of materials used.
The good news is technology has come a long way in recent years towards making materials that are kinder to the environment and less expensive to produce. There is also a growing movement towards using wholly natural materials, though their potential when compared to the equivalent man-made products are questionable when they can end up costing more.

One of the best ways to reduce noise in larger properties is to fit a green roof. It is no coincidence that we are starting to see more and more green roofs when there are some obvious advantages.

From a sound insulation point of a view, a green roof can reduce interior sound levels by as much as 40 decibels, which makes it ideal for buildings where peace and quiet is important such as university buildings.

A green roof also provides excellent thermal insulation which saves on heating costs as well as a home for wildlife. A green roof can be installed on most buildings and it can be combined with other sound insulation materials to create a greener environment.

Metropolitan Insulation Blog