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Why we turned to robots to help insulate homes
Staff at Your Homes Newcastle realised a robot was the perfect solution to insulating properties with suspended timber floors. Jason Wylie explains more
As one of the biggest ALMOs in the country, Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) manages a large number of properties that must meet the government’s targets around energy efficiency.
More than that, though, we’re responsible for the homes of around 30,000 families – families we’re committed to ensuring can live comfortably.
Like many social landlords, we’d already explored the traditional options. Achieving our targets was becoming more challenging with each passing year and we needed something else, something more than ‘the usual’.
“We’d already explored the traditional options.”
Amazingly, a robot emerged as the perfect solution (I was just as surprised as you probably are).
We discovered that Q-Bot’s artificial intelligence offer could be used to insulate properties with suspended timber floors with minimal disruption.
This was a bonus, given that we manage more than 18,000 of this type of property and we’d require staff with skills only before demonstrated by Steve McQueen and his The Great Escape comrades to get into such tiny gaps.
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The idea of a partnership with Q-Bot was put forward by a member of staff tasked with finding innovative approaches to thermal efficiency.
YHN has a process, the Commercial Lab, which enables staff to make constructive suggestions that can be turned into commercial ventures and our recently launched values encourage our employees to be more revolutionary in their thinking.
Even so, asking our board to approve a full-blown partnership with a robotics company in an area of work more traditionally operated in by building contractors was obviously going to require some major due diligence.
The Commercial Lab ensured that an effective business case was fully considered. This included evaluating links to our core business, consideration of potential target markets, profitability, and competitor and risk analysis.
“Asking our board to approve a full-blown partnership with a robotics company… was obviously going to require some major due diligence.”
The partnership with Q-Bot passed through all of these stages with full backing from our board and we’ll now be managing all aspects of this underfloor insulation offer throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, and Cumbria – from winning new business to actual installation.
Unlike James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson et al, we’ll be filling rather than emptying the gaps under buildings (with insulation foam), but we’ll be equally stealthy in our work – and, like their prison guards, the customers above will hardly notice.
We’ve invested £200,000 on the necessary specialist equipment and created three jobs so far. In addition to investing in staff training, we’re working with Q-Bot to jointly set up a technology centre in Newcastle, which will lead to other opportunities.
YHN has committed to spending £2.5m on works over the next few years, starting with our own empty properties.
“We’re working with Q-Bot to jointly set up a technology centre in Newcastle.”
It will cost around £2,100 for the average two-bed semi in Newcastle; the efficiency savings for tenants are significant (typically around £180 a year in heating bills) and the disruption minimal.
Q-Bot’s underfloor insulation reduces energy use by as much as 25% and draughts by up to 50%, meaning even more benefits for customers. It also means the timber floors are more protected, which can provide further benefits by prolonging their lives and limiting the need for repairs.
We have built in assumed growth – a considered risk that we think will ultimately pay off. The challenge for us may be convincing other providers to take a perceived chance on something cutting edge.
The industry doesn’t have to take my word for it, though – a trial of Q-Bot’s underfloor insulation service showed that this was the most cost-effective energy improvement option available (at £970 per Energy Performance Certificate point, compared with £2,015 for solid wall insulation and £11,810 when replacing windows). It can also mean up to nine Standard Assessment Procedure points for landlords.
As far as we’re concerned, it’s win-win – more of a triumph than even Steve’s bike.
Jason Wylie, assistant director of commercial, Your Homes Newcastle
