It costs money, none the less. But so does the ever spiralling price of electricity, simply to line the pockets of power company managers and directors.

Sarah and I decided to further invest in more technology (hardware) to go with our PV array when it occurred to me that it might be a better idea to investigate ways of holding on to that heat energy we already have. It makes more sense than generating more heat, either through an air pump heat source or water heating solar panels or more PV panels to generate electricity or whatever.

The problem (apart from power companies):
A large and substantial wooden framed extension to the main house with a flat roof and a cold layer insulation layer that is (in effect) a cold airspace. In reality, 50mm of plasterboard, the air space then the roofing timbers. That’s it. We are leaking heat to atmosphere like a sieve, over a considerable area of roof. Furthermore, the layout cabin has no roof insulation to speak of. I was relying on the thick roof boards to do the trick. It didn’t last winter. Both buildings offer challenges with regard to insulation. The house extension could not be insulated with foam because it would cause a damp problem.

Apparently.

The cabin could be insulated with very environmentally unfriendly foam board installed in the roof and disguised with a false ceiling. However, the beautiful planked ceiling and those  huge wooden purlins would be lost from view. The idea of fixing a false layer of tongue and groove to recreate the plank effect was prohibitively expensive and labour intensive to boot. Anyway, there’s a layout to build in there. Something had to be done before winter sets in. Whilst all this was going on, progress on the layout had reached the stage where ceiling work would become difficult if immediate action was not taken. It’s all about programming layout work in the right order and preparing the ‘layout room’ is a major part of that.

The solution - and two fingers to power company profits:
Sarah, my wife, found a very interesting and cost effective solution after a determined search on the Internet. Whilst I was lounging in the bath, soaking away those horrible little fibres after a session of installing a further thick layer of conventional loft insulation in the cottage part of the house, she discovered nano technology. Not from a Star Trek web site either…

And the excess profit orientated managers at Southern and Scottish are going to hate this stuff…truly hate it.

There are claims of up to 40% saving in heat loss. Considering that we have an all-electric system here and that potentially means over £600/year saving on our electricity bills based on the area of the house in which this insulation material could be used. It provides the answer to the flat roof insulation challenge in the house.

Now, we have just installed it (a paint roller was all that is required) and will assess it’s performance after the 30 day curing period. If it works, and there is a great deal of evidence to say that it does, it will not only save heat from escaping from a vulnerable part of the house but will keep the cabin cool in summer too. This has clear implications for modellers that are stuck with using sheds, garages and lofts as a home for their train sets, with all the winter cold and summer heat issues making the environment unbearable for creative modelling or operating sessions.

Nansulate Clear Coat looks like acrylic varnish and indeed it behaves the same way, drying to a clear semi-matt finish. It is applied to the interior surface of ceilings and exterior walls in three thin coats to create a heat barrier. It has no U-value because its approach to insulation is completely different to any conventional material.

Work on the layout was stopped for the time it took to coat the ceiling of the cabin - three coats. Protection of surrounding furnishings, the floor and so on was not absolutely necessary because it seemed to be fairly resistant to dripping and splattering.

This next picture shows how it appears like a satin varnish when applied over wood.

Why this technology is not being made more widely available and being pushed by those in authority I do not know. It appears to solve a lot of problems regarding heat loss and has a proven track record too.

Today’s rant:
All of the talk from politicians about making the energy companies foot the bill to get conventional insulation into homes together with all the spin about helping people with their power bills sticks in the craw a little when all it takes is further regulation to rein in the energy companies’ control over the so-called price of ‘wholesale’ electricity. The companies just up prices when it suits them and then screws the consumer with ever higher bills (a senior manager from one such company stated publicly that he was looking forward to a cold winter so his company could make even more money). They are in the driving seat and so-called competition in the energy markets is all so much bull. Okay, that’s probably a simplistic view but the essence of the situation in the UK.

If the government really, truly wants to help, why does it not remove the VAT from power bills instead of playing with stupid and transparent attempts to move the smoke and mirrors around with confusing schemes? Hang on, rain check…reduce taxes? Be sensible, Seahawk, that simply is not the Labour way.  The VAT applied to fuel bills was/is (delete where applicable depending on your views) a ‘green’ tax. Funny, we pay it up here in the Scottish Highlands, on electricity bought from Scottish Hydro (part of Scottish and Southern). Hydro electricity? Is that not from a ‘renewable’ source? Why are WE paying a green tax on electricity from a renewable source?

Anyway, our new found insulation technology may be the answer to keeping more money in our pockets and heat in the house. And two fingers to the power companies.

www.nansulate.co.uk (UK)

www.nansulate.com