Floor Insulation: Trusted to reducing energy bills & carbon emissions

Overview
Q-Bot is an award-winning company that uses AI and robotics to provide spray-foam floor insulation to all types of homes in the UK and Europe. Drawing on the very latest building science and research, and verified by Energy Savings Trust and the Residential Property Surveyors Association, Q-Bot’s insulation technology reduces energy usage (and crucially people’s energy bills) and reduces carbon emissions from buildings.
Our work has been supported by the UK Government and Innovate UK, and we have won numerous awards, including the CIBSE Building Performance Award and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation).
Today, Q-Bot’s floor insulation is being installed in over 150 homes every month as part of a whole house retrofit approach or single fabric approach, with building ventilation and building safety at the heart of our work. We work with over 50 registered social housing providers, energy companies (for example E.ON), a network of accredited installers, managing agents and private homeowners.
We are a main provider to the UK Government’s Green Homes Local Authority Delivery Scheme, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant. Our Chair (and co-founder) is Professor Peter Childs, founding Head of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Q-Bot Floor Insulation System
Using AI and robotics, Q-Bot’s insulation is deployed beneath suspended timber floors or to the underside of solid concrete floors. A remotely operated robotic device applies spray-foam insulation to the underside of the floor, resulting in a reduction in heat loss through the floor and a barrier to cold air draughts.

A technical survey is completed for all properties, with the evidence that is collected stored digitally in Q-Bot’s secure ‘Install Management system’. The survey determines the suitability of a property by assessing floor health, moisture content, physical conditions and the building’s ventilation. The robot is controlled remotely by qualified installers, spraying the underside of the floorboards between the joists to the desired thickness in the case of suspended timber floor construction, or the underside of solid concrete floors in solid floor construction.
Q-Bot deliverables
An average-sized UK household, insulated by Q-Bot, could typically save c£850 a year in an electrically-heated home, and c£270 a year in a gas-heated home*.
Studies show that the Q-Bot system reduces heat loss through the floor by 77% and cold draughts by 1/3 for the whole house. Compared with other retrofit measures, Q-Bot is the most cost-effective solution available. The average cost is £3,380 per install, with a typical SAP improvement of 5 points per home, resulting in a cost of £695 per SAP point gained.
With retrofitting existing buildings seen as essential for the UK to reach Net Zero (residential homes are responsible for around 25% of the UK’s CO₂ emissions, with space heating accounting for more than 50% of domestic CO₂ emissions), a household using Q-Bot’s solution can cut its annual CO₂ emissions by an average 700kg – the equivalent greenhouse gas emission saving as driving over 1,700 miles in a car per year.
Ventilation & building safety
Building ventilation and building safety are of paramount importance to Q-Bot, and so our pre-installation, technical surveys and quality control processes are critical parts of the work programme for each contract that we deliver.
There is a difference between the application of spray foam insulation in a loft/roof and the underfloor void from a building science perspective. A loft installation places the timber outside of the insulated envelope (deemed to be high risk), whereas floor insulation (delivered by Q-Bot and our accredited partners) places the timber inside the insulated envelope (low risk).
A number of independent studies on the impact and performance of the Q-Bot system have been undertaken and confirm there is no increased risk of damp, or moisture build up when installed in line with guidance and building regulations. Q-Bot’s process is safe, trusted and robust.
Our system has been in operation for over 10 years, installed in over 3500 properties across the UK and Europe and there have been no failures, nor any incidents where the insulation has needed to be removed. In addition, we have had no cases where a mortgage has been refused by a bank or building society.

RICS (Royal institution of Chartered Surveyors), the Residential Property Surveyors Association and Nationwide (the building society) have published reports and statements regarding spray foam in lofts/roofs, stressing the importance of only using reputable contractors who record and provide detailed information before, during and after installation. These bodies state that for all spray foam applications, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
• Confirmation installation in accordance with manufacturers recommendations:
• Full pre-survey suitability report inc details of materials
• Condensation Risk Assessment
• BBA/ KIWA Certification
• Installation Warranty
Q-Bot has been providing all of these as part of its services to customers and since its inception in 2012. We continue to work closely with Nationwide, our business partners and other organisations to ensure our processes meet the requirements of surveyors and the expectations of social housing providers, private landlords and homeowners.
Q-Bot’s Underfloor Insulation System, which carries a 25-year insurance backed guarantee (issued by QualityMark), meets all necessary Building Regulations, is PAS2035 compliant and all our installers are TrustMark registered.

For further information, please visit our website – www.qbot.co or contact Tom Lipinski, our co-founder and Chief Technology Officer via tom@q-bot.co or Paul Taylor (Taylor Keogh Communications) via paul@taylorkeogh.com / 07966 782611.
*Based on a typical 16-24% reduction in space heating demand (approximately 2575kwh in an average home) – see EST Verification report