The Insulation Station Idea to help address part of the current Energy Crunch Crisis by providing low cost or donated insulation materials at local collection points

The Insulation Station is an idea by Paul Ridley of Cabinz cic  / SAHBN  to help address part of the current Energy Crunch by providing low cost or donated insulation materials at local collection points . 

With the proposed warm banks at museums and libraries, providing heated spaces for people needing to warm themselves in winter. Insulation Staions could be cupboards or mobile racks containing these items for users to take home & install in their homes.

I have contacted local Food Banks to see if they are interested in distributing insulative materials as there are current news articles saying some Food Banks are running out of food. 

.....................................................................................

Edit:

Following a Tweet today 15-9-22 by Martin Lewis of MSE, who is funding Warm Bank guidance, I have sentthe following email to the organisers at warmbanks@cilip.org.uk who welcome useful ideas:

......................................................................................

Hi, thanks to Martin for the tweet and you taking up the challenge here

We are a N.Wales / Chester social enterprise & vol group suggesting a distribution point at the

 warm banks for donated non bulky items to help insulate the home /room, that users can take home with them to install.

My first thoughts are that these could include:

 

 Bubble wrap / cling film to insulate windows

Cardboard to put in gaps / insulate.

Fire resistant sealant in a tube & applicators to seal drafty cracks in window frames / doors

Padded fabric draught excluder rolls

water pipe insulation to stop pipes freezing

Warm clothes ( you probably thought of that)

rolls of sticky tape to tape on the inside hinge side of the door to stop draughts

rolls of draught excluder tape

Materials to make insulative curtains over door or add to window curtains

rolls of fabric & scissors to cut off a length or off cuts of fabric

screws or nails to fix  curtain rails to top of door frame

wood or metal tube curtain rails

curtain hooks

needle & thread to stitch top of fabric over to slide curtain rail into.

Keyhole covers to stop draughts , (we have several 100 of these )

We would be interested in a trial in the Nw / n. Wales area and we could provide a storage trolley with shelves. We have 20 used of these which cost £1k new They are on castor wheels, are double sided , twice as deep as seen in pic & HDuty to take 2 deep ice cream tubs )

I am calling this trolley full of insulating accessories, the InsulationStation.org.uk

we are currently working on the HIBERNATER  ,as part of D.I.G.R.S. - DIVIDE- rooms with portable insulated panels, fabric or green walls to save energy & aid function

Currently talking to designer of the hexayurt Vinay Gupta about hexayurt -like room divider systems

New ideas will be posted here -  www.Energycrunch.co.uk

More about 'Shelter and Hardware Bank Network' (SAHBN)   https://cabinznet.blogspot.com/2019/09/press-release-17819-by-paul-ridley-of.html www.re-use.com

Best Regards Paul Ridley

Founder / director Cabinz cic / SAHBN

 

The HIBERNATER or HIBERNATOR is a name for a temporary insulated shelter built inside a building or outside to survive extremes of cold or heat. An idea as part of the DIGRS Project by Paul Ridley of Cabinz Cic / SAHBN

The HIBERNATER or HIBERNATOR is a name for a low cost temporary insulated shelter built inside a building or outside to survive extremes of cold or heat.  An idea as part of the DIGRS Project by Paul Ridley of Cabinz Cic / SAHBN 

People should be able to retreat to the Hibernater, safe in the thought that it will cost very little to heat, and is big enough to perform many homely functions, such as sleeping, writing at a desk, watching tv.

To preserve resources & keep cost low, the shelters are ideally made reusing materials or clearance stock sourced locally.

The current Energy Crunch gives an ideal opportunity to design, prototpe these shelters. 

There are fire resistant designs like Hexayurts using foil sided PIR rigid foam boards taped together, that can be reused when a shelter is no longer required due to temperature normalising for external wall insualtion. 

If on a low budget, used tents, insualated fabric,  non fire resistant shelters can be used. The DIGRS project has been exploring designs & buying materials to build them  using low cost wood, fabric, insulation & hardware / fixings,

Can a Wind Turbine Assembly be added to a jacked up EV car wheel while parked to use the EV regen system to generate electricity ? Perhaps an ev bike wheel, ICE car alternator, washing machine or vacuum cleaner could be similarly adapted ?

 I call this concept, STOREUSE - An Idea to Utilise Resources in Storage for Reuse while they would previously have been inactive

 Electric motors & batteries are prime candidates for Storeuse as the ycan take a lot of use without much wear 

Can a portable telescopic wind turbine assembly be added to a jacked up EV car wheel while parked to use the EV regen system to generate electricity ? 

Perhaps the spare wheel could be utilised with the spokes adapted into windmill blades. Being telescopic the assembly could be easily stored in the boot of the car.  Similar to Mobile Emergency Lighting Tower Car Roof Mounted Telescopic Mast 

Electric hub bicycle wheels could also be utilsed windmills while parked, or placed at night in windier places like high rise block balconies or sea front  areas.

 Perhaps ICE car alternators could have an adapted bonnet hole to insert a drive shaft attached ot a wind turbine. Washing machines & dish washers are often next to windows in the kitchen, a flexible drive shaft could be going out the window or hole in the wall to the wind turbine.   Could a vacuum cleaner could be similarly adapted to ?

Perhaps a marine version could be developed to put into flowing water to generate electrity on windless days?

 An associate, David Baker designed an amphibious vehicle with redesigned spokes of the back wheel, which is similar : Land Shark Project Video  Contact David Baker  - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-baker-b0996b5b    

I am doing research & looking for partners to develop these ideas. If interested or you know of similar existing products, contact cabinznet@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog

This is an Idea by Paul Ridley of Cabinz cic / SAHBN following on from his related idea of STOREUSE - An Idea to Facilitate the Storage of Resources for Reuse. Lack of Storage is a common Barrier to Reuse

In the current Energy crisis, I am trying to generate related ideas on a blog page at www.energycrunch.co.uk

 

Energy saving ideas blog page, eventually leading to a website at www.Energycrunch.co.uk

 This Blog page will contain energy saving ideas by Paul Ridley of Cabinz Cic / SAHBN and related  educational web links 

Curently working on D.I.G.R.S. - DIVIDE- rooms with portable insulated panels, fabric or green walls to save energy & aid function with latest ideas HERE

Other ideas 

Indoor cube, rectanglular or hexayurt from taped foil sided rigid foam boards -www.hexayurt.com lower cost clearance boards from Seconds & co in Mid Wales

For  more portable, hardy hexayurt type panels, screw drywall lining framing (available here in NW ) around the edge of each panel with loose pin hinges joining them & draught excluder tape on the join. (This idea is currently being experimented with )

 Related idea

A cheap way of dividing up a room is using 2 metal angle or corner brackets hung off the top of a cupboard  / cabinet door, tied together by cord, then hanging fabric or gaffer taped edge cardboard sheets (taped to trap air inside) to hang over the cord

 

The corner brackets we have 20k of in stock will do the job at very low cost. (pic below - hinge not required) put a bit of tissue / tape inside to stock scratching the door corner

Cardboard Tubes frames, supporting fabric curtain dividers by Japanese Architect  

These tubes could be sourced from carpet shops, usuallt for free, reused and combined with reused fabric roll tubes from fabric shops .Make tubes more fire resisatant by covering in aluminium foil and using fire retardant fabric.

.................................

Cardboard box dividing walls with edges taped seal gaps and to trap air inside for insualtion 

Some shown here

advice on working with cardboard  https://cardboardhelp.com/

......................................................................

Can a portable telescopic windmill assembly be added to a jacked up EV car wheel while parked to use the EV regen system to generate electricity ? 

Perhaps the spare wheel could be utilised with the spokes adapted into windmill blades. Being telescopic the assembly could be easily stored in the boot of the car.  Similar to Mobile Emergency Lighting Tower Car Roof Mounted Telescopic Mast 

Electric hub bicycle wheels could also be utilized windmills while parked, or placed at night in windier places like high rise block balconies or sea front  areas.

Perhaps a marine version could be developed to put in water on windless days?

 An associate, David Baker designed an amphibious vehicle with redesigned spokes of the back wheel, which is similar : Land Shark Project Video  Contact David Baker  - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-baker-b0996b5b    

I am doing research & looking for partners to develop these ideas. If interested or you know of similar existing products, contact cabinznet@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog

This is an Idea by Paul Ridley of Cabinz cic / SAHBN following on from his related idea of STOREUSE - An Idea to Facilitate the Storage of Resources for Reuse. Lack of Storage is a common Barrier to Reuse

In the current Energy crisis, I am trying to generate related ideas on a blog page at www.energycrunch.co.uk

DIY very low cost insulated room dividing / shelter Mk 1 panels (DIGRS Project) to save energy in the winter / reduce heat in summer

 

 I'm still working on the D.I.G.R.S. Project (DIVIDE- rooms with portable insulated panels, fabric or green walls to save energy & aid function) 

 Please note: this is just an experiment & not guidance or instruction. There are many ways of making an insulated panel with a wide variety of materials.  I encourage others to urgently experiment as winter is nearly here and comment on this blog with their ideas.

The panels can be used to make small indoor shelters as well as room dividers. Trellis and green walls can help insulate external walls and I am experimenting with these too, encouraged by articles like 'Green walls can reduce heat lost by buildings by over 30% in temperate climates' 

Our main unique selling point is having a system using 30,000+ metal hinges and corner strengthening brackets in stock for making insulating panel frames, available for 30% or less of cheapest retail cost.

 

The first panels below are not fire resistant, though may have certain elements that are ( aluminium tape & foil) as the low budget does not allow it.

When time allows and more funding is available, I will experinment with  a fire resistant panel using drywall light steel framing & fire proof rigid PIR foam or mineral wool. Some previous work with drywall framing panels

 I have recently made some prototype panels and worked with local fencing co's to reduce their waste by reusing wood clearance stock & off cuts.

We have several million new nails & screws, approx 5000 x 1.8m long treated wood battems, 10k x bzp metal hinges, 20k  x corner reinforcing brackets / screws & 100 mtr of draught excluding tape for sale at low cost, usually 30-50%+ less than the cheapest retailer price, and are still looking for partner groups to distribute these to diy makers / users as a matter of urgency.

If funding is located, materials will be distributed for free and we welcome donations Contact cabinznet@gmail.com for further details

Below are Mk1 plastic & Mk1 wood panels with a 1.8m high wood batton frame, other is with  plastic / grp composite door edge strip. A trellis frame is belwo that for outside.

 As the first aim is for low icome groups to make their own panels easily with a minimum of cost & tools, i have experimented with corner joints of metal staples from hand staplers & fibreglass reinforced sticky tape to support the frame  (see pics) .

These hold the frame in place until the corner bracket & hinge are screwed on, which hold the corner joint securely. Then a sandwich of several layers of used cardboard are used for insulation. which can be wrapped in domestic or thicker catering aluminium foil for extra insulation / fire resistance ( see pic) 

Here in the NW & N Wales, I have identified several cheap suppliers of materials for panels 

Low cost Material Suppliers    1. Fabrics

Thick fabric was sourced for £1 a mtr from a local shop clearing stock (the T Shirt shop open wed to sat , next to Grey & Pink records in Brook st chester who have several thousand mtrs for sale at same price) , which is stapled to the frame.

 The 8 Abakhan stores have some lost cost quality fabrics.

2. Drywall steel framing suppliers (may have minimum quantities) 

Bulkdrylining (Shrewsbury)

3. PIR Rigid Foam  Suppliers (seconds & clearance stock )

Seconds & Co - mid Wales

3. Metal Sided PIR Rigid Foam Sandwich Panels Clearance Stock 

Actionclad  Nr Derby 

4. Kitchen & Bathroom Door Panels, Cabinets & Remanufactured Paint

Recipro (Wallasey Docks Wirral) 

5. Hexayurt Type Walls  - Foil Sided PIR Rigid Foam Panels Taped Together 

Perhaps the panels seams could be made more fire resistant with  intumescent tape / strips as used in fire doors (research needed)

My Panel Prototype Pics

Thick indoor fabric covered grp / plastic composite door edge strip frame insulated panel mk 1

 Indoor (leather look ) thick fabric covered wood frame insulated panel mk 1

Close up (without corner support bracket or hing/ joint gasket seal)

Close up (without corner support bracket or hing/ joint gasket seal)

Rear view (uninsulated)

Corners can be strengthened with angle brackets or an outer corner bracket that the hinge screws to (see first pic) we experimented with staples & grp reinforced tape to hold the wood frame together before we added the outer corner bracket, as this method does not require an angle bracket (see pics below)

Rear view (uninsulated)

Above pic is corner stapled together with hand stapler then with fibreglass reinforcrd sticky tape (fgst) wrapped around to hold it.

Below is cardboard taped with fgst, attempting to stop it gaping, A staple, bolt or stictch may be reqired in middle. 

Belwo is gaffer tape, sealing air into cardboard to aid insualtion, this can be stapled to wood or further gaffer tape can added round frame either side (not shown in pic)  connecting cardboard & frame to hold insualtion in place

Hand stapling of DES before tape added

Wood frame before corners support & fabric added. Note: the corner support wood piece was salvaged from offcuts from the smaller centre horizontal beam, as its smaller than the top & bottom . If a shorter panel is requiredthe bottom beam can be cut to be insided the vertical beams & offcuts used to support 2 corners as well 

plastic frame with tape reinforced corner at bottom. (Note: it would likely be best ot add inside plastic corner support before taping ) 

Metal corner bracket installed with hinge attached and foam draught excluder tape added to seam

aluminium foil & sticky tape covered cardbard panel, attached ot frame by alu tape ( note gaffer tape would be stronger but not fire resisatant )    

 After being filled with insualtion, this panel could be placed to insulate a wall. If a room divider is required, the other side could be covered with fabric stapeld in place (perhaps seam hidden iunder gap sealing gasket / foam )

Other side of hing & corner bracket showing 2 wood & 1 self drilling screw through metal . Hinge can be attached in different ways ie hidden in side gap

For external wall insualtion & greenery, I have been experimenting with trellis from local fence co pallet wood spacers (horizontal wood beams in pic) 

If you contact local fencing co's of timber merchants, they may have available free wood sticks / spacers that are used to seperate timber planks, I used the free 1.2m cross beams from sticks on the trellis pic below 

I will be looking at green walls generally, being  encouraged by this article - Green walls can reduce heat lost by buildings by over 30% in temperate climates

Below is Mk 1 trellis prototype. 1.8m h x 1.2m w

More thoughts on reusing plastic bottles, waxed cuboid cartons, metal cans & cardboard, for insulation & shrapnel protection

Following on from Previous experiments by Paul Ridley reusing plastic bottles, waxed cuboid cartons & cardboard over several years, mainly for packaging items & insulation, I have some more ideas.

A more urgent case for plastic reuse can be made with recent articles highlighting recycling problems, like The Big Plastic Count: Survey shows 'recycling doesn't work' 

  3 years ago, I experimented Making an Insulated Eco Brick by Filling Empty Plastic Bottles with Rolled Cardboard or Plastic & Evacuating Air (VIB))   

As the world has changed with major inflation, material shortages & european war. I believe it's time to revisit some of these ideas. Perhaps such ideas could be used in Ukraine to help protect from sharpnel while also insulating structures internally or externally from harsh winters.

I mentioned protection from projectiles on the blog post: Design method to reuse existing refugee camp tents and further insulate them from temperature / fire / projectiles at low cost

It has occurred to me that using water inside a can / bottle for thermal mass & projectile protection that has a squirt of expanding foam inside at either end to strengthen the structure & seal the water in.

Crumpled or shredded plastic /polysterene / cardboard  (see UBUNTU BLOX ) could also be used instead of water for impact 

 Fabric could be reused at either end & glued in place with the expanding foam for additional strength. I will update this blog with photos & progress shortly & welcome comments / related experiments 

update: 20-7-22 - Relevant full reseach paper on metal drink can insulation in concrete slabs

Evaluation of Aluminum Cans As A Thermal Insulator in Reinforced Concrete Slabs      March 2009  

"

The cost of any insulation material has the controlling rule for selection, the higher the cost,

the better the insulation and the higher the construction cost. In this study, AC was found to

meet the minimum cost requirements, since AC could be collected from Aluminum

Recycling Agencies, beside the minimal construction cost. AC may also be bought directly

from the factory for insulation use. The cost of AC is much lower than the cost of TB and the

PB

4. Conclusions:

The tested insulation materials were evaluated through models, AC showed a significant

results. Experiments also showed that the cans are a good thermal insulation material and can

withstand a considerable live and dead loads, in addition to the low construction cost and low

dead weight. From practical side of view, these cans could be packed using nylon sheets with

suitable dimensions (100x100cm or 50x50cm) for easy installation process beneath the

floor’s or ceiling’s tiles. As it was stated before that the AC recycling rate is decreasing, the

use of these cans is certainly will contribute in solving part of the environmental problems."

 

Edit: 22-7-21

 

(PR Idea) - How about making a living fence or wall insulating panel into a bug hotel by using wood or plastic frame, containing plastic bottles or tins stuffed with cut twigs/ hay etc into, 

Guide here - Build a bug hotel for spiders, woodlice, beetles, bees

Using cans info here

6 Large Rubble Bags of New Tanalised & Used Timber donated to Ellesmere Port Mens Sheds by Cabinz CIC / SAHBN

 6 Large Rubble Bags of New Tanalised & Used Timber donated to Ellesmere Port Mens Sheds by Cabinz CIC / SAHBN  on 8-7-22

Woodwork to Wellness in Saltney was offered some as well, but they have no storage, so we are storing some wood until they have the room