Why Re-roof? Repair and insulate in one go! Don’t leave it too late to carry out repairs to your roof – it could save you thousands of pounds. Take advantage of modern polyurethane technology to save your existing roof and avoid the much higher cost of a re-roof. You may not be aware that if you are repairing more than 25% of your existing roof, the roofing contractor is now legally obliged to advise you to notify the Local Authority Building Control Department, to comply with the new Part L Building Regulations. Generally the whole roof will need to be brought up to current thermal efficiency required under Building Regulations. This is to comply with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and part of the Government’s drive towards achieving zero carbon homes by 2016. Polyurethane foams can be economically applied to the underside of traditional roofs, as well as those constructed from steel, asbestos and aluminium. Systems can be applied to various depths and have a K-value of 0.023Wm2K. When sprayed to a depth of 85mm the U-value of a typical roof with 100mm fibreglass at ceiling level is reduced from 0.34W/m2K to 0.16W/m2K, bringing your home up to current (2006) Building Regulations. This can save the equivalent of more than 1 tonne of CO2 per annum in reduced energy consumption. Hybrid Warm-deck Pitched Roof (No breather membrane) U-value: 0.16w/m2k To avoid the expense re-roofing a house that is simply suffering from nail fatigue, and to obtain optimum insulation, an 85mm layer of polyurethane foam can be sprayed onto the underside of the slates or tiles of a pitched roof. This stabilises and weatherproofs the roof by fixing the nails, battens and roofing felt. As the foam is a superior insulant, coupled with just 100mm of insulation at joist level, your roof will also meet the stringent thermal performance standards required for a new home. A typical roof can be insulated using the polyurethane treatment for around half the cost of re-roofing. The insulation at eaves level will leave your loft area comfortable for use and free from condensation. By installing the insulation at rafter level, it keeps the loft void warmer and prevents condensation build-up, which can otherwise occur when increasing insulation at ceiling level. The warmer, drier, cleaner roof space eliminates the risk of pipes and tanks freezing. Some 150,000 properties have been treated with polyurethane foam insulation in the UK. There are systems which have British Board of Agrément approval for use in existing and new build applications and can show compliance to Building Regulations. Literature on the use of sprayed and injected polyurethane for walls, lofts and other applications is available from the British Urethane Foam Contractors Association, based at PO Box 12, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 3AH; or tel: 01428 654011; fax: 01428 651401; e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.bufca.co.uk.