The widespread adoption of a set of Building Regulations, designed to make our homes both safer and perform more efficiently, have done great things for the thermal performance of traditional dwellings.
Installing insulation and making your home perform better should be at the top of your priority list so read on and we’ll tell you the changes you can make today to see improvement.
What is Insulation?
The term insulation is a blanket term that describes any material designed to make an object, structure or component perform better from an energy standpoint. This doesn’t have to only mean thermal energy but could mean sound energy too.
Insulation can also be made from several different materials, all of which have their own properties which make them suited to the task. For example, AttiCat insulation, which is a type of blown-in fiberglass insulation specifically designed for attics. This material enhances thermal performance by reducing heat transfer, thereby improving energy efficiency in homes.
Where Would I install Insulation?
Your home is always going to benefit from insulation being placed in three places; your floors, walls and roof space.
- Floor insulation sits within the structure of your floor and provides an insulating effect for the space above it, helping each room to retain its heat.
- Wall insulation sits within your walls cavities, essentially a gap between each layer of masonry. Insulation here will prevent heat loss through walls.
- Roof and ceiling insulation will prevent heat from being lost through your roof space as of course, heat naturally rises.
The type of insulation installed in each location will differ slightly but their principles remain the same. You can consult professionals to acquire information on how to insulate different parts of your house, what methods can be adopted, and the finances required. For instance, you can contact a local roofing contractor or home improvement expert who would likely know the best practices for roofing insulation. The professional might even provide you with a quotation as well as quality services.
What is Reflective Insulation?
As mentioned, there are several types of construction insulation on the market. You can discuss this with your contractor to learn what type can benefit you more in the long run. Reflective Insulation is one such product that works on the principal of radiation and convection. This type of insulation comprises an air bubble, sandwiched between two layers of insulation.
This vapour barrier is non-breathable and is designed to keep out excessive heat during Summer months by preventing solar gain as well as retaining heat during the Winter months, preventing heat loss through its structure.
What are the Benefits?
Reflective insulation is deemed to be most useful where moisture and heat transfer needs to be controlled. Moisture, especially can be potentially damaging to the property and the possessions within it. It can trigger the growth of mold and can bring in pests as well, and these are not at all welcoming for any home. Though some expert pest controllers and Professional Mold Removal service providers can help you deal with these problems, reflective insulation can be a precautionary measure to prevent these issues by blocking any moisture or dampness. Now, the environments where heat and moisture need to be controlled include:
- Top floors where heat has risen from lower down in the building – the top floor is usually the hottest.
- Basements where a high quality of insulation is required to prevent dampness and the prevalence of cold penetration.
- In metal buildings where the properties of metals such as steel can make thermal management difficult.
- In concrete floors where damp and moisture from the ground need to be prevented from entering a building. Insulation here does a great job of working with a damp proof membrane to make floors thermally efficient.
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When put into practice, insulating your building, whether it’s a family home or a high-rise of flats, can save on your heating and cooling bills. You will be using less energy to regulate the temperature of each room, which will also mean your heating and cooling systems are less likely to break down as they are not working so hard. You will still need to get things like air conditioning units maintained by heading to a site similar to https://globalcoolingair.com/air-conditioning-service/repair/, as this will keep everything running smoothly. Insulation should, however, help to keep costs down in the long-term.
Sourcing and Installing Insulation
If you’re undergoing a construction project, now is the time to look into which type of insulation is right for you. We would suggest speaking to your contractor to see whether they recommended one type of insulation over another. Insulation suppliers who manufacture their own insulation are also a great source of information.
It is also a good idea to read up on U-values as this is the official measure of any material’s thermal efficiency and will be useful to know when applying for Building Control approval.
