We are delighted to announce that we been accepted into the Net Zero Heat Cohort, by the UK Research and Innovation.
Innovate UK’s Net Zero Heat programme will work with key partners to overcome barriers to enable a faster roll-out of decarbonised heat for buildings.
As part of its Net Zero Heat programme, Innovate UK are partnering with Sustainable Ventures and Carbon Limiting Technologies to build a peer group cohort of leading innovative companies that will be key players in a future net zero heat economy.
The challenge Net Zero Heat is addressing is to accelerate the shift away from gas for space and water heating in all buildings. Most of the solutions to deliver this already exist with many from companies the three of us have supported. To decarbonise heat for 30m buildings in the UK in the next 15 years, these solutions need to scale out fast.
Coltraco Ultrasonics will work with the cohort to understand the barriers to their growth and scaling and provide support in overcoming them. The resulting peer network will be able to open doors for the companies that they couldn’t on their own.
Our Solution
In the UK, a significant 23% of carbon emissions are attributed to heating water and indoor spaces, primarily powered by gas. Urgent action is required to transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.
Airtightness integrity refers to the efficacy of a building at preventing unwanted air flow through unsealed and porous areas such as gaps and cracks within the buildings’ structure. These air leakages can lead to energy loss which has a negative environmental impact and can lead to increased energy costs for the occupants.
Consequently, integrity testing has become a critical step in modern construction. Built environment testing provides builders, architects, and property developers with the assurance that new buildings meet stringent environmental performance requirements and align with global sustainability goals.
In collaboration with UKRI and Innovate UK, we have developed the world’s first portable instrument for monitoring infection control. This technology, initially created to help relieve pressure on the NHS during the pandemic, has now evolved to identify heat loss leaks within buildings, ensuring that every unit of energy is used to heat homes rather than being wasted through building inefficiencies.
The Portascanner® Airtight enables the easy collation of accurate data to evaluate the airtight performance of buildings allowing informed decision to be made towards the improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings. Our journey is highlighted in a video that showcases Coltraco Ultrasonics as a British advanced manufacturer based in London.
Ultrasonic Airtight Integrity Testing
The Portascanner® Airtight is a handheld, portable air leakage detection system that utilises ultrasound to undertake air tightness tests that can be used for any room or compartment, with the capability to locate leak sites as small as 0.5mm in diameter. It can be applied to both new and existing buildings, so can be used before, during and after building or renovation in a manner that is non-invasive, highly intuitive, and fast.
Ultrasonic tightness detection is non-destructive and can be done quickly, with almost no disruption to regular operation. It provides a precise diagnosis of any issues on the same day. This allows you to carry out an independent air tightness testing scheme and find and deal with repairs ahead of the pressurisation test, so you can be sure you will pass the first time without uncontrolled airflow.
Furthermore, standard pressurisation tests only provide information on the overall leakage rates in the room/compartment and not on where these leaks are occurring. Our ultrasonic leak detectors enable you to quickly identify, locate, and even quantify individual leak sites, such as gaps and cracks. This allows you to target remedial work in the areas most needed, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of building control.
Airtightness testing has three benefits:
Planetary Health: Reducing CO2 emissions, both operational and embodied.
Human Health: Access to pathogen-free, pure, fresh air; thermal comfort; and acoustic insulation.
Building Health: Eliminating mould, rot, infestation, condensation, and ensuring watertightness, fire prevention, and suppression.
Airtightness is much more than a technical requisite. It is a testament to our collective responsibility to craft buildings that stand not only as monuments to our creativity, but as symbols to a sustainable future.
