Insulation is key to keeping your home warm in the cold months and cool in the hot months. On top of that, it can even help to keep your energy bills low – did you know that 35% of your home’s central heating will escape through your cavity walls, while 25% is lost through your roof? That is, if you don’t have sufficient installation installed in your home.
We’ve put together this short guide detailing the types of insulation you need in your home.
Cavity Wall Insulation
The majority of modern homes (and by that we mean most homes built after 1924) are built with two layers of brick that have a gap, or cavity, between them. The primary purpose of a cavity wall is to prevent moisture from the outside penetrating up the outer walls and into the inner rooms of your home.
However, while this cavity does reduce heat transmission compared to solid walls, heat can still escape from your home between this gap.
As such, cavity wall insulation is used. This is where insulation material (either foam, bead or mineral wool) is injected into the cavity from the outside of the wall in order to fill the gap. This insulation will then work to keep the cold out and the heat in.
Solid Wall Insulation
Whilst most modern homes are built with a cavity wall, if you live in an older home that was built before 1924, then chances are you’re more likely to have a solid wall. As the name suggests, this is where the walls of your home are built using a single, thick solid wall, rather than two walls with a cavity between them.
As there is no gap to be filled, there are two options for insulating solid walls – they can either be insulated from the inside or the outside, with inside wall insulation being the more common of the two.
In order to do this, rigid insulation boards are fitted to the interior of your external facing walls, or a stud wall is built and filled with insulation material (e.g. mineral wool fibre), then finished with plaster work to seal this in.
Loft Insulation
If you cast back your mind to your school days, you may remember your science teacher emphasising how hot air rises (not heat!). Well, keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that your home loses approximately a quarter of its thermal energy through the roof.
In order to reduce this, loft insulation is used. This is where insulating material, commonly mineral wool or fibreglass, is placed across the surface area of your loft and covered with loft boarding, allowing it to work at its optimum performance whilst still providing you with storage space.
If your home could benefit from any of these insulation solutions, but you worry about affording them, then you may be eligible for free heating support. Get in touch with us here at UK Energy Management to check your eligibility.
