Maesteg in South Wales is a town that has had its ups and downs. Its prosperity was founded on iron and coal, but the collapse of the mining industry in the 1980s and more recent factory closures have meant that there are areas where the housing stock is in bad repair and with poor thermal performance. The proximity of the M4 has meant that the town is becoming a dormitory town for workers in the larger towns and cities, who do not want to live in run-down areas.
Funding for such housing improvement is available through Private Sector Housing Renewal schemes, and one such initiative is Bridgend Council’s Group Repair Scheme. This aims to improve dwellings within Renewal Areas, by the repair or refurbishment of a group of private properties.
And what better way to do this than by reroofing with Welsh slate!
But given the possible diversity of loft usage and the fact that all work had to be carried out externally, was there any way to improve the insulation at the same time, without raising the roof height?
TLX Gold was able to be fitted without any additional labour effort, rolled out, draped between the rafters and secured just as for a conventional breather membrane. The upper layer of the TLX Gold is in fact TLX UV 25, our top range breather membrane, and this layer extends to provide a built-in 100mm overlap which is sealed with adhesive tape, and well able to withstand the gales that can batter the Welsh valleys.
There was no need to enter the properties, yet the energy efficiency of the houses was improved at a stroke, without any risk of condensation.
