Quite simply insulation works to keep the outside temperature out and the inside temperature in. Think of it like a chilly bin or vaccuum flask, if you put hot food in it stays warm and if you put cold food in it stays cold. It works to stop/slow temperature transfer – just like putting a jersey on when it’s cold. The better the grade or type of product you use the less temperature transfer there is so the better it works (like putting on a thicker or better jersey suited to the environment you are in). Insulation does not create any energy of it’s own so it wont heat your home but it will help retain the warmth you generate thus creating better internal living conditions. So many of our customers are very surprised by the difference it makes.
Ceiling Insulation Hot air rises so a lack of, or inadequate ceiling insulation can be responsible for considerable heat loss in the home (around 46% and up to 60% in older homes). When you flick on the heater you want to make sure that expensive heat stays in. Lack of insulation can also make your home hotter in summer as the heat from the attic space transfers into the home. Wall insulation works in much the same way although less heat is lost through the walls (around 25%).
Underfloor Insulation Underfloor insulation works extremely well in older homes with wooden floors. Statistics say that between 10-15% of heat is lost through the floor but the impact on your home is normally much greater than this. Why? – as the earth chills down so to do your floors which is transferred through into your home. By putting a ‘barrier’ to slow or stop this transfer the home doesn’t cool down nearly as much in the first place making it easier to heat. By also blocking out rising dampness the air inside is dryer and hence easier to heat. Most older tounge and groove wooden floors have gaps allowing drafts which is a major form of heat loss.
Wall Insulation Wall insulation works in a very similar way to ceiling insulation but because less heat is lost through your walls the impact of insulating your walls is less than insulating your ceiling. To install wall insulation without removing the internal lining involves the drilling and injecting of foam type products. If your internal lining has been removed it is as simple as cutting and placing sections of insulation between your wall studs.
How is it measured? All insulation types are measured as an “R” value. The “R” stands for thermal “resistance”. Since warm air moves towards cold air (that’s wind!) it is a measure of how much a product resists heat moving through it. The higher the “R” value the better the insulating qualities. Therefore an R1.3 is lower in performance than an R1.6. The R1.6 has greater resistance to heat moving through it than the R1.3. Our recommendation is to go for as high an “R” value on your product of choice as you can, whilst taking a common sense approach towards “bang for buck”. We can offer you some practical advise on this. Be aware that insulation Rvalues can be measured in two ways. One as a measure of the product as a stand alone item and the other as a ‘system measurement’. The system measurement looks at how the product is installed and adds together components such as trapped air space, size of enclosed gap, house construction etc. Note that foils can only be measured this way as they work on reflection so the material itself offers very little thermal resistance. Looking at how a product will work in your home as a system is very important to getting
