Thermal Insulation

To make your house energy efficient, the single most important measure is the addition of insulation to the walls and ceilings. It is with insulation material that you can slow down heat transfer through the external surfaces of your home. It can make your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. In an uninsulated house, approximately 40 percent of heat loss takes place through the roof and ceiling, while around 35 percent of heat is lost through the walls and floors.

The rating performance of bulk insulation materials is specified with an R-value. The greater the R-value, the more effective the insulation is at resisting heat flow into your house in summer, and out of it in winter. There is a wide range of bulk insulation materials that come in two forms, either in long rolls called blankets that need to be cut to fit the length of space or the other type of insulation material with pre-cut lengths known as batts. There is also loose fill insulation; this has no backing and is supplied loose and can be easily poured or pumped into a wall cavity or roof space. Reflective foil insulation works by reflecting large amounts of heat from its highly polished metallic surface, and transmitting very little heat due to the emissivity of the product. Due to these characteristics it is more effective in summer than winter.