In a house where there is not sufficient insulation 30% of the energy generated can be lost through walls, roof, floor, pipes, windows and air leakages. To prevent this loss adequate insulation should be applied where necessary. Here are some insulation recommendations:

Walls:

Cavity wall insulation

If your home was built after 1920 but not in the last 10 years then it might be an un-insulated cavity wall house. If there is a small gap or cavity' between the two layers of walls, they are cavity walls'. Cavity wall insulation means that, the gap between the walls is filled with an insulation material and it blocks the heat transfer between the house and the outside. Cavity wall insulation can also help to reduce condensation inside the house if it is a problem on external walls. Heat always flows from a warm area to a cold one. In winter, if outside is colder, you are going to lose the heat you generated in your house more rapidly. Cavity wall insulation slows down the rate at which heat is transferred and keeps as much heat as possible inside your home for as long as possible. How does this happen? Insulation makes it much more difficult for heat to pass through your walls by filling up the cavity with a material with lots of air pockets in it. These pockets significantly reduce what is known as your walls' U value - which is a measure of how quickly they lose heat - from around 1.5 to 0.5 W/m2K . The lower the U value, the slower heat is lost - and the less energy you will need to keep your home at your desired temperature. You may sometimes see references to an R-value. This is a measure of thermal resistance and is the inverse of a U-value - the higher a U-value is the lower the R-value is.

Solid Wall Insulation

Solid walls can cause even more heat loss than cavity walls; the only way to reduce this heat loss is to insulate them on the inside or the outside. This will help stop heat being lost from your home and help to prevent condensation on the walls and ceilings. There are two types of solid wall insulation: external and internal.

• External wall insulation

It is adding a decorative weather-proof insulating treatment to the outside of your wall. The thickness of the insulation needs to be between 50 and 100 mm and is usually installed where there are severe heating problems or the exterior of the building requires some form of other repair work providing the opportunity of adding insulation.

• Internal wall insulation

Solid walls can also be insulated by applying internal wall insulation. Types include insulation/plaster board laminates or wooden battens in-filled with insulation. Insulation/plaster board laminates usually consist of plasterboard backed with insulating material typically to a total thickness of up to 90mm. The construction of the laminates reduces the amount of heat which would otherwise pass through into the wall and outside.

Floor Insulation

Another location where you lose heat is the floor of your house. You lose the heat you produce directly to the foundation of your house or in other words to the soil or the gap between the soil and your house. Timber floors can be insulated by lifting the floorboards and laying mineral wool insulation supported by netting between the joists.

Roof Insulation

In an un-insulated home a quarter of your heat is lost through the roof. Insulating your loft is a simple and effective way to reduce your heating bills. Without proper insulation a lot of the valuable, expensive energy you use to heat your home will be lost through the loft. Loft insulation is an effective way to save energy and money at home. A well insulated house keeps warmth exactly where you need it - indoors.

Draught Proofing

If you can feel cold air coming in around the windows in your home it means warm air is escaping. In draught proofing simply gaps are filled and the amount of cold air entering your home is decreased. There are several types of materials available from brushes, foams and sealants to strips and shaped rubber or plastic.

Hot water tank and pipe insulation

Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the simplest and easiest ways to save energy and money.

Both tank and pipe insulation keeps your water hot for longer by reducing the amount of heat produced. So you can consider lower bills for water heating.

Double Glazing

Double glazing can cut heat loss through windows by half. Double glazing works by trapping air between two panes of glass creating an insulating barrier that reduces heat loss, noise and condensation. So you will reduce the amount of heat you lose through windows.

Briefly, providing insulation at all points that you may lose heat will have significant benefits regarding your heating costs. Insulation job can for small applications be a DIY job but for larger applications such as double glazing, cavity wall insulation etc. you need to consult an expert. If you want to get information about our solutions for insulation all around your house you can contact us here.