The Best Insulation For Homes

The Best Insulation For Homes

Your home’s thermal efficiency helps to save money on heating bills, benefits the environment, and keeps you warm during those colder months. The R-Value of the insulation - or maximum thermal performance - relies heavily on the type of insulation used and how it’s been installed. But, when it comes to choosing the best insulation for homes, the amount of choice can seem overwhelming.

What Does Insulation Do For A Home?

Uninsulated properties can lose a considerable amount of heat through the walls, windows and roof. While it varies depending on the type of house and how it has been constructed, an uninsulated home can lose as much as 33% of its heat through the walls, 20% through windows, 15% through floors, and 25% of heat is lost through the roof. By insulating your home properly, you can prevent this heat loss, reducing heating costs while doing so.

What Is The Best Insulation For A Home?

New builds are usually fitted with modern insulating solutions that are highly efficient, but in older homes, retrofittings are often needed. If you’re retrofitting, some types of insulation won’t be practical, such as polystyrene sheets. Luckily, there are many other solutions that are affordable and easy to implement.

Walls & Ceilings: When it comes to the walls and ceilings, dry lining is one of the most popular methods[1]  used for adding thermal insulation. This is because dry lining supplies are affordable and the process of installation is easy. This type of internal wall installation is achieved by applying boards to the walls. These plasterboards can be fitted easily using insulation fixings, making the process simple for plasterers and non-experts alike.

Lofts & Roofs: Where loft insulation is concerned, it’s worth using batting or rolls of wool - both are an environmentally-friendly option with several insulation benefits. Wool is great for absorbing sound while keeping your home nice and toasty. It doesn’t burn either, so it’s safe to keep in the loft without constant monitoring.

Foam spray is another popular option for when it comes to adding insulating layers to your property. While not the most environmentally-friendly product, spray foams are highly effective, quick to install (when done correctly), and flexible to use. Foam sprays are not the easiest to use, however, and can be difficult to remove. It’s worth hiring a trained professional to ensure the job is done well.

How Do You Tell If Your House Is Well Insulated?

There are a few simple ways to check if your property is well insulated. Monitoring your heating bills is a great place to start. You can look at the average expenditure of similar-sized homes to see how your energy costs compare.

Another way to check if your house is well insulated is by checking how you feel. Are cold draughts or breezes coming in, even when windows or doors are closed? If so, it’s likely that you need to ramp up your insulation efforts.

It’s also worth noting if there are any fluctuating temperatures in your home – does your home get immediately cold when the heating is turned off? It could be a sign that heat is escaping quickly. Likewise, if some rooms are colder than others, it could signify which areas of the property need insulating first.

A well-insulated home won’t have draughts or cool spots, and your interior walls won’t be cold to the touch. Well-insulated homes are:

  • Free from damp and mould
  • Free from moisture on inside of walls or windows
  • Warm!

Can You Over Insulate Your House?

When it comes to insulation, how much is too much? Surprisingly, it is possible to over insulate your house, although this is a rare occurrence. There does come a point when too much insulation can have a negative impact, both from a financial and environmental perspective.

If you keep adding extra layers of insulation to your home, there will eventually come a point where the house can’t ‘breathe’. It will get overwhelmed with heat, causing layers of moisture to trap inside the many layers of insulation. This will lower the effectiveness of insulation, leading to damp and mould. This damage can be expensive to fix, and the longer you leave the

over-insulation in place, the more it will fester and grow.

Final Notes

There are many types of insulation available for homes, all as to which are successful in keeping you warm. The insulation you use will entirely depend on the structure of your house and budget, but as a general rule of thumb, dry lining and wool insulation helps to keep costs low.

 

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