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Cladding is the next big thing for installers transforming the looks and energy efficiency of customers’ homes, says Richard Jackson, Freefoam UK Sales DirectorCladding is the next big thing for installers transforming the looks and energy efficiency of customers’ homes, says Richard Jackson, Freefoam UK Sales Director.

Installers join the transformer revolution

One of the biggest changes to emerge from the pandemic has been the way people use their homes. After three lockdowns most of us will have spent more time in our houses than ever before, and with hybrid working becoming the norm, the home will continue to play an even more important part in our daily lives.

Many homeowners also have more money than ever sitting in the bank, getting on for an extra £200bn in fact, according to the Bank of England. Covid restrictions and complicated travel rules have made it harder to spend on holidays and other forms of entertainment, and people are spending a lot of this spare money on moving or improving their homes. Some have joined a mass migration from the cities to find more space and nice surroundings. But most are investing in a range of improvements to make their properties to make them more spacious, to live and work in, more attractive and easier on the eye, and more energy efficient so they waste less of their money on more expensive heating. The home improvement sector is doing very well and set for long term expansion.

This time last year we predicted cladding and cladding transformations would grow fast in 2021, and we weren’t wrong! External cladding is an easy, low maintenance way to give homes an instant transformation. We’ve seen countless makeovers this year where cladding has been used to replace existing timber cladding or tired hanging tiles, and update drab rendering. The results are truly stunning, spectacular in fact. But, given the need to rapidly improve the energy efficiency of Britain’s housing stock, one of the most timely benefits of cladding is its ability to improve a property’s energy performance. Around 20% of heat, and carbon emissions, leak out through windows, doors, the roof and walls. What a pointless waste! Cladding is a straightforward installation, and when fitted with insulation, it can make a substantial difference to the amount of energy that is lost to the sky. Homeowners love the double benefit of looks and energy savings. There’s a bandwagon building serious momentum.

Over the past 18 months Freefoam’s premium X-Wood, and Fortex cladding sales have grown strongly. So strongly, that in response to this demand, we are working on a couple of new cladding solutions. Launching in Summer 2022, these will include an easy-to-install system, ideal for home renovations and garden rooms – watch this space!

Featured in Clearview Magazine Janaury 2022