EPS insulated floors in new homes promise comfort and reduced home heating bills across the UK

expanded polystyrene EPS airpop flooring insulation – easy to install

EPS flooring insulation – easy to install

To solve the nation’s housing shortage, more than 250,000 new homes are desperately needed across the UK every year for many years to come. And with cavity wall and roof insulation the accepted norm in new build properties, the emphasis now is on making cold, non-insulated flooring a thing of the past in new houses and apartments.

One fast, reliable floor insulation solution is demonstrated in a new video highlighting the advantages of airpop® to house builders. Used either in simple slab or tailored ‘beam and block’ applications the installation of ‘airpop – engineered air’ – the new name adopted by the European expanded polystyrene industry – could not be simpler and brings major benefits in energy conservation, reduced fuel bills and significant savings of time and installation costs on site. The constant insulation value across the full life of a building – means thermal performance for grey EPS/airpop is 0.03 W/mK and for white – 0.038 W/mK for EPS 70 falling as low as 0.032 for higher density EPS 500.

EPS is exceptionally lightweight and can be transported to site and lifted into place where it is easily cut and installed with no special equipment needed. Once in place, it provides a firm, level insulation ready to take the final screed. It can also create a ventilated airspace and even act as a stable ‘carrying board’ for underfloor heating systems below the screed.

 expanded polystyrene EPS airpop flooring insulation prior to screed in new residential property

EPS flooring insulation prior to screed in new residential property

As well as high impact strength, light weight and design versatility, EPS also offers outstanding environmental credentials. It is 98% air – bound in a polymer matrix. It is recyclable at the end of its life and has BBA Approval, BRE Certification and many wider industry accreditations. It also comes “closest of any modern building material to fulfilling the 60-year performance life target set by the UK Building Regulations”. As an extra reassurance to housebuilders, EPS is non-toxic, chemically inert, non-irritant and rot-proof. Fungi and bacteria cannot grow on EPS and it is insoluble and non-hygroscopic. “Moisture contact will not lead to product or performance deterioration which means it can also be used as clay heave protection in foundations,” said David Emes.