Why is thermal insulation so important?

Why do you need to install thermal insulation in your home?

Thermal insulation is vital for increasing the energy efficiency in any building.

Energy efficiency is linked to thermal insulation

Some 30% of the heat from your home escapes through the roof and the attic of the building. When you add the heat that seeps out from the walls, floors, windows, and so on, it’s quite staggering!

So, adding thermal insulation throughout the building can dramatically increase the energy efficiency in the building. This means you can use less energy in order to maintain heat levels in the building, bringing down your home heat bill.

Before you invest in a high-performance heat setup for the building, make sure you add thermal insulation to stop this heat escaping. There’s no point in a super efficient heat system if the heat will just leak out of the building! Thermal insulation is a great way to make the most of the heat in your home, increasing your energy efficiency.

This increase in energy efficiency will not only reduce the amount of heat you need to keep the temperature in the building comfortable, but will also bring down your heat bills.

What’s more, adding thermal insulation is far better for the environment, as you’ll be reducing the overall energy amounts you use in the building.

When we’re talking about energy efficiency, it’s not just about energy for heat. Thermal insulation is just as useful in summer as in winter. Attics, windows and walls with thermal insulation are also effective for keeping heat out, while keeping any coolness from air conditioning in.

Thermal insulation is better for the environment

Adding thermal insulation to any building reduces the amount of heat energy it consumes. This is better for the environment, as all energy we use produces pollution, unless it comes from clean, renewable energy sources.

The material you choose for your insulation will affect how effective the thermal insulation is. The more effective the thermal insulation is in your building, the more environmentally friendly the building itself will be.

What is the thermal performance of this type of insulation?

If you’ve been looking into thermal insulation for your building, you might have come across the concept of thermal resistance, or R.

Insulation materials are characterised by their thermal resistance, or R, level. This varies according to 2 parameters: the thermal conductivity of the insulation material and its thickness.

How should you add thermal insulation to your attic, walls and windows?

The insulation material that you choose will depend on where you’re installing it within the building.

In order to install the most effective thermal insulation possible, you might want to choose different materials for insulation in the walls in the building, its windows, attic, roof and floors.

Wood-based material works best for windows, but isn’t so suitable for a roof, for example. Glass wool, while suitable for installing as thermal insulation in other sites in the building, won’t work for insulating your windows.

There are multiple options for thermal insulation these days, including synthetic, mineral, natural, heat-reflective and new generation materials. Glass wool is frequently used for thermal insulation, as it is a cost-effective option.

The dimensions and design characteristics of the building will also determine which insulation materials are best for increasing its energy efficiency. Just as there are many different options in terms of material for thermal insulation, there are multiple installation techniques for putting in layers of thermal insulation throughout the building.

If you’re looking to make your thermal insulation as environmentally friendly as possible, it’s best to opt for natural insulation materials. However, these thermal insulation options may be more expensive than others.

You’ll also need to decide whether you install your thermal insulation from the inside or the outside of the building. Again, this will depend on the specific characteristics of the building itself.

In terms of decreasing the amount of heat that escapes through the windows in the building, it’s key we think about the glass. Double or triple glazing is the best way to save energy, as well as using materials such as wood, PVC or aluminium to hold the glass in place.

There are multiple options for decreasing the energy that escapes through your window glass: add insulation film onto the existing glass, or replace the glass entirely with double or triple glazed alternatives. Adding the film onto the glass is the more cost-efficient insulation option, while extra glazing for the glass is the most energy efficient option.

Thermal insulation: key for energy efficiency

Before installing thermal insulation throughout your home building, it’s wise to request a quote for the work from various professional thermal insulation companies.

That way, you can compare the cost-efficiency of installing thermal insulation with various suppliers and base your decisions regarding thermal insulation materials and installation techniques on multiple professional opinions.

As we’ve seen, installing thermal insulation is vital for increasing the energy efficiency in any building. Putting in thermal insulation under the floors, in the walls, roof and attic and around the windows in the building reduces the amount of heat that seeps out, bringing down your energy bills as a result. This is, of course, beneficial for you as well as the environment!