Industry demand for resilient, high-performance buildings means it’s no longer enough for insulation to offer thermal performance alone. Graham Wroe, Sales Director (Building & Distribution) at Knauf Insulation, explains how merchants can benefit from this trend towards insulation products that do more — starting with acoustic performance.
Today, insulation needs to do so much more than just prevent heat transfer. Post-Grenfell, there is a welcome focus on fire safety, for example, with non-combustible materials being mandated in high-rise residential applications, and the government has been consulting on reducing the height threshold to 11m and widening the building uses to be covered.
But while fire safety is the most obvious example, it isn’t the only performance factor newly on the radar of customers. There’s another issue attracting increasing attention — noise.
Why acoustic performance matters
We know more than ever about the damaging impact of noise pollution. Collectively, it costs Europe £24bn per year in lost productivity, impaired learning and harm to health. And the figures on a personal level are no less stark — with people regularly exposed to busy roads or airports 25% more likely to suffer from depression, for example. As anybody who has ever lived with noisy neighbours can testify, a little bit of noise can do a lot of damage.
Homeowners, businesses, local authorities and developers are becoming more aware of the negative effects of noise and expect their buildings to do a better job of mitigating it. All of which encourages installers and contractors to think more about acoustic performance. And because insulation is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to improve it, that’s where many of them will start.
Opportunities for merchants
This means there are business opportunities open to merchants who can highlight the benefits of the acoustic performance of mineral wool insulation.
First of all, a better understanding means you can give better advice to your customers. Merchants are respected for their expertise, and those who can add value by advising are more likely to retain their customers’ business in a competitive and rapidly changing industry.
Secondly, by understanding how different materials and products perform, merchants can ensure they stock the right range of insulation products to cover all applications. The fibre structure of Glass and Rock Mineral Wool naturally absorbs much of the kinetic energy of sound waves, turning them into heat energy. This compares with rigid foam boards which absorb few sound waves and are more prone to air gaps which can allow sound to ‘leak’ through.
Thirdly, it provides opportunities to upsell from insulation products not typically suitable for acoustic performance (for example, loft rolls), to value-added products specifically designed for acoustic performance.
Finally, understanding insulation acoustic performance unlocks opportunities for merchants to cross-sell with related products. An installer looking to buy plasterboard for an internal partition wall on a domestic project could be persuaded to purchase an accompanying acoustic insulation solution if they understand the potential quality of life impact on the end user.
The construction industry is changing, and with it the type of products and support merchants are expected to offer is evolving too. Merchants who stay ahead of the curve with these changing trends — like the push for better acoustics — will be best-placed to capitalise on the opportunities they present.
For more information on Knauf Insulation’s acoustic solutions, click here.
New materials for merchants on acoustic insulation Knauf Insulation lays claim to being the UK’s only manufacturer of both Glass and Rock Mineral Wool insulation, making it uniquely placed to advise on both. The company has a dedicated Merchant Support Team and sales representatives who can provide branch training and specialist advice on the acoustic performance of insulation, as well as other opportunities for merchants. It has also developed a set of materials to help merchants get their staff and customers up to speed on all things acoustic, with a new product finder tool, a leaflet and poster: Noise Reducing Insulation Product Finder — a helpful tool for roofs, walls and floors in new-build and refurbishment projects. Select the details of a project from the dropdown list of options, and the tool will give advice on the relevant regulations and a product recommendation for the specific application. ‘Noise Reducing Insulation – What you need to know’ leaflet — provides an overview of the key facts about insulation and noise reduction. ‘When to use acoustic insulation’ poster — which shows the most common applications where acoustic insulation should be used, for display in-branch.
