Money-saving with roof insulation

People often go for roof insulation in order to save both electricity in the summer and gas during the winter. Roof insulation is crucial not only to keep interior at constant temperature but also to improve your home comfort by reducing noises from outside.

Warm air usually goes up. A house without roof insulation system results into 1/4 heat loss. Roof or loft insulation is just the effective way to reduce heat loss and to cut your gas bill. Average time of this type of insulation is 42 years and what you will save, it will keep costs down. Anyway, let’s proceed step by step, going from insulation definition and real advantages to proper thermal insulation materials overview.

What is insulation?

Insulation is a procedure for closing off two spaces with different thermal and climate conditions; that means preventing heat and noises transfer. In the first case you will enjoy thermal insulation; in the second case you will experience a sound one.

So far as the nature of subject matter, this blog post will focus on thermal insulation. However, I promise you I will analyze also aspects related to sound insulation.

Having figured out the meaning of insulation, it’s time to learn about thermal roof insulation.

Shortly, by insulating your house roof (as well as all walls) you will get significant advantages both in winter time and during warmer seasons.

As a matter of fact, you will slash heat dispersion – as I remind you heat usually tends to get out – keeping your flat warm. Conversely, during the summer season, an efficient insulation will prevent heat to get into our living surrounding, ensuring fair home comfort. In a nutshell, thermal roof insulation means avoiding useless dispersion so keeping the ideal temperature, throughout the year. Is it cold outside? Well, you will feel warm inside your house. You can’t breathe cause of choking heat? Well, your house environment will be cool anyway.

PLEASE NOTE→ it’s up to you: you can insulate your roof layers or your loft. If you don’t have a loft and your roof is not a liveable space or you can’t access to it, you should build a false ceiling inside the building.

Discovering benefits of thermal insulation

Home comfort, energy (and usage) saving, property enhancing. These are three main advantages of thermal insulation. I tell you, it is a quite costly investment; nevertheless, I assure you, you will bless every single cent you’ll pay for it. Speaking of liveability, you will soon realise the benefits. After all, who wouldn’t like living in a well air-conditioned space?

On the contrary, if you look closely to economic factor, you will watch your savings grow in the long run.

For example let’s take this fictional scenario: you own a house with 200 square meters, located in a cold climate place lacking of thermal insulation system. Heating up (or cooling down) such building requires much energy. Without wasting any more time on calculating, we estimate the average energy expenditure will be of 2,000 euros. By means of a proper insulating your energy use per year will drop considerably and you will pay 800 euros.

When you don’t have a proper insulation system, heat (or cool air coming out of air conditioner) will disperse easier, making your flat colder during winter and hotter at summer time. Therefore, you will sadly  use stoves, air conditioners, fans or other energy devices to adjust your home’s temperature.

Don’t forget to take into account huge energy impact of traditional air conditioning systems on earth, our precious mother. Yes, choosing insulation for your homestead will definitely reduce pollution. If we care about the environment and consequently we change our habits and the way we think, our planet will be a better place to live and to raise your kids.

Best insulating materials for your house roof

To figure out what are proper insulating materials for your roof, we need to be familiar with the features of each of them so you can pick the right type for you. First, let’s start by talkig about common feature of every insulating materials, which is low thermal conductivity. Every material has its own value, which is necessary to measure its conductivity. The name of this technical parameter is thermal trasmittance.

On that premise, let’s focus on main insulating materials.

Cork and wood fibre – two insulating materials of plant origin

Wood fiber panels (dried or expanded cork) are one of the best choices in terms of roof insulation. It is mainly for its low thermal trasmittance. However, make sure it meets high quality levels. If panels are made of bark been contaminated by bacteria, or barely ventilated, it will affect its properties for sure. Vice versa, you will have high roof insulation performance, besides being waterproof, antiperspirant and rodent and bugs-resistant.

Whereas wood fiber is a material obtained from sawmill discards. This kind of material is used for  high quality insulation panels, fully biodegradable and recyclable ones. They are ideal both for thermal and acoustic insulation.

Ship wool - insulating material of animal origin

Another high performance material in terms of insulating properties is ship wool. Its peculiar microstructure makes it absolutely insulating, antiperspirant, and hygroscopic as well, that it is able to absorb water without getting damp. In brief, it will do anything else than absorbing and releasing water slowly and keeping humidity levels balanced in your home.

Mineral wool, glass wool and asbestos – three mineral insulating materials

Lastly, I would like to talk you about two insulating materials of mineral origin, which have cause many clashes. After all, everybody knows microfibers are dangerous (asbestos above all). Yet, both of them have excellent insulating properties.

Mineral wool, thanks to the process by which it is made (ice rocks melting and spinning), has great thermochemical properties. Moreover, it doesn’t rot and it is high temperatures resistant.

Glass wool, instead is made of vitreous residuals being synthesized (joined by means of thermal treatment) with coal dust. The material coming out is fire resistant, not flammable and perfect for a building acoustic insulation. You might ask yourself: why does it show up in this list? I tell you: It’s because it performs the task perfectly both in terms of sound and thermal insulation!

Now you’ve got to know the best insulating materials, I tell you about some technical aspects you should take into consideration.

Humidity problems

Insulation traps heat preventing it from escaping your home. Consequently, this will make loft cooler and will inevitably get humidity problems worst. If you have this kind of problem it is better to ask for an expert in order to sort the root of the issue.

Do-it-yourself insulating?

If you do not have mould problems or you can’t access to your loft you might think you can do it on your own. First of all, you should employ proper materials. Not all insulating materials are the same, and your choice depends on materials your house are made of. This way, you will make sure your insulation system installing won’t damage your house.

PLEASE NOTE→ Insulation system installing on flat roof requires expert intervention, same thing when humidity problems knock at your door.

Water pipes, water silo and loft hatches

As I said previously, insulating will make your house warmer but your loft cooler. If you do not insulate properly water pipes and water silos will freeze. If you have a loft hatch too, check there’s no draughts as they will let in cold air and waste too much heat. So, you can set insulating loft hatch equipped with seals on all sides and you will avoid heat loss problems.

Improving the comfort of your home

Now, you have a more detailed overview on caulking and thermal insulation that you (might) bring to your house. Make sure you will ask for a specialised company, and do not pretend to be what you are not: a do-it-yourself expert. On the contrary, if you never needed plumber or electrician, well I will raise the white flag.

Whatever the scenario is, just bear in mind something very important: a loft ladder, so you can gain access to your attic by means of hatch I was talking to you about in the previous paragraph. This will make your thermal system installation and maintenance works easier.

FGM Scale, leading company FGM Scale, leading company specialized in loft ladders design and manufacturing has the right solution to your needs. Just ask for a consultation and improve the comfort of your home.