INCA Case Study: Mayhill & Townhill, Swansea

Project Detail

In Winter 2023, Swansea DLO completed the installation of the Sika Parextherm EWI system on 120 houses within the vast Swansea Council housing stock. This was part of an ongoing successful partnership between Swansea Council and Sika to actively reduce fuel poverty whilst working towards targets of net zero carbon.

This well-established relationship between Sika and Swansea Council has a key objective; to improve the lives of the most vulnerable families in Swansea. Not only have energy costs been significantly reduced because of these improvements, but the kerb appeal of these dwellings has helped to boost community spirit and improve the mental wellbeing of its residents.

In addition, this EWI installation project has helped to boost the local economy. As part of Sika and Swansea Council’s collaborative relationship, they committed to an ongoing apprenticeship campaign to train and recruit local people to proficiently install Sika’s EWI systems. Over the past few years, this has provided a good base of loyal installers that are continually available, which helped to keep this project on programme and ensure the residents experienced minimal disruption during the installation.

This project is of significant merit, with an end U-Value of 0.28W/m²K being achieved. This is a considerable reduction from the original U-Value of 1.24W/m²K. This surpasses the 0.30W/m²K requirements of building regulations and is representative of the innovative approach that Sika adopt in the EWI market. Sika are leading the way with these results by not just meeting the industry standard but exceeding it. Furthermore, Swansea Council’s partnership with Sika using these innovative EWI systems demonstrates their own commitment to maximising the energy efficiency of their housing stock and thus enhancing quality of life for their residents.

To achieve these commendable U-Value improvements, a Sika Parextherm EWI system was used, comprising 100mm EPS Grey, with a traditional dash finish. This system was perfectly suited to this project as it offers a best-in-class base coat that can be used in all weathers, alongside a hard-wearing dash finish, that can also stand up to the elements of the local climate. In addition to this, Sika supported Swansea DLO with dedicated technical resource to train, inspect, and advise onsite throughout the project to ensure the best results were achieved for every single home.
This project has created local jobs, supported the reduction of carbon emissions, reduced fuel poverty, and created 120 more comfortable homes. This is a fabulous demonstration of collaboration and commitment to a common goal by Swansea Council, Swansea DLO, and Sika.

Ashley Taylor, Planning & Contracts Manager, Swansea Council

“On behalf of Swansea Council, can I express my gratitude to Sika as both a product and a company. Over the past few years, the collaboration has proved to be so valuable in helping Building Services work towards its key principles and getting the best for our local tenants and their communities.”