A timber frame specialist who has been using Actis insulation products for the past two decades says he has never looked back – after one of his customers took two days to notice his heat pump had broken as his house was so warm
Nick Harrington, sales manager for Wakefield company Premier Timber Systems, whose expertise spans student accommodation, new build developments, self builds, extensions and garden pods, shares his passion for the Actis Hybrid range with some of his latest customers, whose home will be ready to move into in the spring.
Indeed, part of the reason the clients chose Premier Timber Systems to create their new four-bedroom, four-bathroom house is that a relation had told them how amazing Actis was – and then went on to use it himself in his own home!
Four-product Actis Hybrid system
The detached house, which has a U-value of 0.13 in the roof and 0.14 in the walls – far better than the 0.18 new build wall figure required under building regulations – saw Nick’s team use the entire four-product Actis Hybrid system.
They installed insulating breather membrane Boost R Hybrid, 105mm honeycomb style insulation Hybris and insulating vapour control layer HControl Hybrid in a 140mm stud frame in the stone wall. In the pitched roof they used the roof variant of Boost R Hybrid, cleverly named Boost R Hybrid Roof, which comes in larger rolls, covering 15sqm, with a lap and built-in adhesive tape, in conjunction with 125mm Hybris and H Control Hybrid.
Nick is a massive Actis fan, with his love for the products dating back to a time before Hybrid was even conceived!
“I first used Actis in my own attic conversion about 20 years ago – and even use it keep my hot tub hot!” he said.
In fact, Nick and his team refuse to use any other form of insulation. Years ago, they dabbled with factory fitting PIR board. “But it slowed down the production of panels. So we switched to Hybris because we can install it so quickly.
“We use it all the time for any customers wanting insulated panels. We only suggest Hybris. We really enjoying installing it and we won’t install any other insulation.
“We love it as it’s so clean and smart on site. It makes us feel like a very eco-friendly business. It’s quick to install, and therefore cheap when it comes to on-site labour, our joiners can do it themselves from start to finish. There’s no waste, as cuts can be used anywhere, even from job to job. The maximum we’ve ever had left is one bin bag – and most of that is packaging.
“Hybris is so easy to fit. The sites look great and smart, very new, fresh and clean. It feels so warm immediately because we achieve great levels of air tightness. There’s no dust in the air and no mess left on site, so no PPE is needed – and no coughs!”
Retaining heat in the coldest of winters
And its thermal efficiency is so impressive that sometimes people don’t even notice that the central heating isn’t on, such is its ability to retain the heat in even the coldest of winters.
“We had a first-time customer who didn’t realise their heat source pump had broken ‘til two days later, as his house was still kept so warm, just from the insulation,” explained Nick.
Having said that, Actis products’ heat retention properties also work the other way – their reflective nature meaning heat is deflected in the summer, which keeps homes cool – a property not shared by traditional forms of insulation.
“We simply never discuss other options – our only option is the Actis option!” added Nick.
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