A better way to build

Ultraframe marketing director, Alex Hewitt, talks to Glass Times about the outstanding energy efficiency performance of the company’s hup! building system.

With the rising cost of living and in particular, energy bills, high on the agenda for all of us right now, it’s more important than ever for homeowners to be able to confidently choose home improvement products that are highly energy efficient.

There is now more to converting a conservatory into an energy efficient extension than simply replacing the roof. Installers can now offer a complete upgrade which has a much better impact on fuel consumption because the walls and roof structure can be up in a day – every bit as rapid as a roof replacement.

hup! really is the better way to build. It consists of a fast to build and highly energy efficient wall solution that can be used in conjunction with any Ultraframe roof – including the newly launched flat roof – allowing installers and builders to create every possible style of home extension, orangery, or conservatory quickly and easily.

While the speed, flexibility and quality are huge plus points of the system, it’s hup!’s outstanding energy efficiency that is grabbing people’s attention right now. We are so proud to be able to say that a hup! living space is five times more energy efficient than the average UK home. This means that the hup! living space itself will be cheaper to heat than the rest of the home and this will have a knock-on effect of lowering the heating costs of adjoining rooms.

This immense energy efficiency is largely down to the groundbreaking technology within the unique Ultrapanels that make up the walls of a hup!. Boasting a U-Value of just 0.17, hup! walls are not only energy efficient but they are also kind to the environment. Manufactured at Ultraframe HQ within our BBA approved factory, there is zero waste from the manufacturing processes, so the efficiency of the system runs right from manufacture through to the finished built living space.

In fact, hup! is also space efficient, as the walls are 27% slimmer than brick/block walls. Due to the stringent factory conditions in which hup! is manufactured, you can be assured of a consistent high-quality finish, and because hup! walls are precision engineered offsite, there is no cutting required on site by the builder. This means less mess and a build that is five times faster than traditional methods!

Sitting atop of the walls on any hup! structure is a choice of Ultraframe roofs. With roof U-Value options as low as 0.14 (reducing to 0.12 on solid roofs from December to comply with Scottish Building Regulations), it’s easy to see why the hup! system is a winning combination.

Not only are the individual components within a hup! highly energy efficient, but they are also Building Regulation compliant, meaning less red tape than traditional methods. This is because the entire system is pre-approved by Assent Building Control to ease the Building Regulation process – something that is welcomed by builders and homeowners alike.

Feedback on hup! since we launched has been fantastic. We recently held an open day at the National Self Build Centre which attracted 100 visitors all eager to learn more about hup! with one builder telling that he ‘can’t wait to get rid of his trowel’ now he’s discovered hup!.

We’re expecting more builders to convert to hup! over the coming months. If you haven’t yet given the ‘better way to build’ a try or would like to find out more at one of our upcoming open days, please do get in touch – your customers will thank you for it!