Home
Creating a greener and more planet friendly home is something we should all aspire to. Whether you're planning a large self build project or just looking to update your current home, investing wisely in eco-friendly features can provide you with a wealth of benefits now and for the future.
At Alloway Timber & Builders Merchants, we work alongside environmentally conscious suppliers who make it a priority to use sustainable processes and materials in the production of their products.
Natural lighting and ventilation
One of the biggest things to consider when planning an eco-friendly self build is making the most of natural light and ventilation within your new home. Creating a house which takes advantage of these natural resources makes for a healthier and more efficient indoor environment.
VELUX have partnered with WWF to capture their historical CO2 emissions from 1941-2041 through protection and restoration of forests around the world and will dramatically cut their future carbon emissions in line with climate science, and have asked their suppliers to do the same. By their 100th anniversary they will be Lifetime Carbon Neutral.
The VELUX Solar Integrator is a specially designed flashing that perfectly connects VELUX roof windows to a variety of solar panel build-in systems. Our solution ensures that your roof window will fit perfectly into the PV grid because of an easy, fast, safe and seamless integration.
In order to secure perfect positioning of the solar panels and the VELUX roof window, the unique and innovative side section design allows for up-to 25 mm sideways flexibility. That will make it easier for you to achieve a high-quality result in less time.
Our plasterboard is manufactured from the most sustainable sources of gypsum available and we only use 100% recycled paper liners.
Knauf plasterboard is durable, does not naturally deteriorate and is also simple to recycle.
The same is true of our metal systems – built to last and entirely recyclable when required.
We work with contractors to reduce on-site waste and increase their recycling capacity.
Insulated with energy-efficient lighting throughout
Heat exchangers from driers save approximately 10% of our plant’s energy requirements
Sophisticated energy management software optimizes our energy usage
We partner The Carbon Trust on future targets
We are assessing and trialing alternative energy supplies including combined heat and power (CHP) and wind
Our sites are ISO 14001 certified for environmental management
Insulation is a key component of sustainable building and creating a greener home. Improving the thermal performance of your home will not only help to dramatically reduce your bills, but also your carbon emissions too. There is also now a wide variety of natural, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional insulation materials, which often contain high amounts of problematic chemicals and additives. Sheeps wool, cotton, cork and recycled plastic are all excellent insulators and are renewable, non-toxic and biodegradable too.
Knauf Insulation
Our Glass Mineral Wool insulation solutions contain up to 80% of recycled materials, the majority of which comes from the recently opened Veolia Glass Cullet facility. By maximising the amount of recycled glass cullet in the manufacture of our products, we minimise our need for mineral raw materials.
Our revolutionary bio-based binder, ECOSE® Technology avoids the use of petrochemicals. It is 70% less energy intensive than traditional binders, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions at our manufacturing facilities.
Our work to ensure safe and legal operations in our supply chain has enabled us to achieve certification to the Building Research Establishment's responsible sourcing standard BES 6001.
Rockwool Insulation
At ROCKWOOL, we’re dedicated to enriching modern living. We strive to increase our positive impact on people and society by maximising the positive impact our products make, otherwise known as our handprint, and by minimising our operational impact, also referred to as our footprint. We recognise that operating with integrity and as a responsible business is equally important and underpins everything we do. Our approach to sustainability is based on three principles covering both our handprint and footprint:
Whether you’re refurbishing an office block or building a small extension, EcoTherm Insulation are here to make your life easier. Our wide range of thin PIR rigid insulation boards can be used in virtually any application, helping to cut down building emissions. But that’s not all, we’re also pushing ourselves to go further with Eco-Pledge – our ambitious 10-year sustainability programme which looks to tackle three big issues relating to both our operations and our products:
Climate change
Circularity
Protection of our natural world
Water conservation
Installing systems to help you conserve water is an easy way to reduce your consumption and cut down energy usage. Rainwater harvesting systems can be used for watering your garden, washing the car and even for toilets, saving gallons of water. Low-flow taps and shower heads, plus water efficient appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, can also help you save water without even realising.
New homes are far better insulated than ever before, and with hot water production being the dominant load, this demands a system specially designed to match this requirement.
Polypipe
At Polypipe we offer the complete range of pipe systems to meet the requirements of the water industry, from smaller sized pipes such as Polysewer (150-300mm) and Ridgisewer (400-900mm) to larger diameter Ridgistorm-XL (750-3000mm), all with a design life in excess of 100 years. Our pipe systems are complemented with a full range of pre-fabricated chambers and manholes.
Our innovative water management systems have been carefully designed and engineered, making them the ideal choice for large-scale capital works schemes. They are also perfectly suited to surface water, sewerage and combined sewer applications and are accepted by all UK water companies.
Brett Martin
Situated on a hillside above Mallusk, our dedicated 6.42MWp solar installation feeds directly into the manufacturing site and on average has saved 900t of CO2 per annum. Along with energy generated by our wind turbine, the carbon we've saved is equivalent to a reduction of 13,600,00 km driven by an average family car which is 340 trips around the earth saved.
Renewable energy
Our over reliance on fossil fuels is having a major impact on our environment, and switching over to renewable sources is something we should all be investing in. Solar panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps allow you to generate your own energy in a cost effective way, reducing your reliance on conventional sources. Although these technologies can be more expensive, they will pay for themselves over time with the energy savings made.
