Trials of an autonomous robot that crawls under the floorboards of old houses squirting insulation have shown that heat loss can be reduced by as much as 86%, according to the system’s developer.
London-based start-up Q-Bot says that its system could save more energy than replacing single glazed windows with double glazing, and replacing a 15-year-old central-heating boiler with a brand new one.
London’s Camden Borough Council and residential property manager CityWest Homes trialled the Q-Bot at two period properties – a 72 sq m ground floor flat, and a 69 sq m terraced house – last year.
The Q-Bot is sent into the under-floor void through a hole drilled by a technician, or through a vent. It scans the area to build a picture of what’s there and then squirts insulation fed by an umbilical cord, sealing any cracks.
Q-Bot managing director, Mathew Holloway, said: “The trials showed what an impact the technology has – a massive impact on comfort. The amount of heat lost through the floor is actually far greater than people might realise.”
The Q-Bot is sent into the under-floor void in older homes to scan the area and squirt insulation (Q-Bot)
In the carpeted Camden home heat-loss through the floor was cut by 72%, while cold air infiltration was eradicated, reducing infiltration into the house by over 60%, the test results showed. The combined U-value for floor and ground was reduced from 1.0W/m2K to 0.28 W/m2K.
In the CityWest trial, where there were exposed timber floor boards, the total heat loss through the floor was reduced by 86%, with a 45% reduction in cold air infiltration. The combined U-value for floor and ground was reduced from 2.1W/m2k to 0.28W/m2k.
Peter Armfield, sustainability manager at CityWest Homes, said: “Most importantly, tenants are comfortable and happy as it makes an immediated difference to their comfort as well as the energy cost. This is why we intend to look at how we can apply the treament across our portfolio.”
Cosy homes
The results of the trials were released to Global Construction Review after Q-Bot was highly commended in this year’s International Innovation & Research Awards organised by the Chartered Institute of Building.
"We have backers who can scale up manufacture of the robots in a very large and quick way, but we need to show that we have some traction that makes it worthwhile doing. So it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, which many companies face."
Mathew Holloway, Q-Bot
The judges citation said: “Q-Bot’s innovative robotic solution recognises the need for a non-intrusive method of improving under-floor insulation in existing properties. It is an exciting and innovative product which has great potential for improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock.”
Holloway, an engineer, entrepreneur and tutor at Imperial College London, joined architect Tom Lipinski at the new company in 2013. Q-Bot had earlier been started by Lipinski and Imperial College professor, Peter Childs. They are now targeting owners of large pre-1919 property portfolios.
Holloway wouldn’t disclose the size of the company but said that it was in a high-growth stage and had deals now with Camden Council, CityWest Homes and Peabody, all sizeable London housing providers. A team of electrical, mechanical and software engineers was further developing the technology, he said.
Q-Bot has won seed funding from the UK government’s Emerging Entrepreneurs Fund, its Technology Strategy Board, and from the EcoMachines Incubator Accelerator programme, but Holloway said real sales now contribute to Q-Bot’s revenue.
Ready for take-off?
Holloway believes the market will respond not just in the UK but in Northern Europe, too, where there is a large stock of homes with suspended timber floors needing insulation.
He told GCR: “We have backers who can scale up manufacture of the robots in a very large and quick way, but we need to show that we have some traction that makes it worthwhile doing. So it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, which many companies face.
“But we’re lucky to be working with councils and housing associations because they do plan ahead and are a bit more consistent in their thinking. We are already delivering and our delivery capability is scaling up all the time in response to customer demand.”
Entrepreneur Holloway, who was previously behind the the Cool-Phase low-energy ventilation system, later acquired by Monodraught, said the business climate in the UK was relatively conservative.
“In the UK we’re slightly less gung-ho about things than maybe in the US, where you can have an idea and someone will throw $10m at it. You have to take things a bit further, push things a bit further but, if there is a strong potential, there is no reason it won’t take off, and there is a lot of support for start-up and early stage companies to grow in the UK.”
