Summer and autumn have already passed and now is approaching the most fabulous, but at the same time the coldest time of the year. Winter gives the opportunity to lie under a blanket with a book or watch TV series and New Year’s films. This is also a time for warm family evenings and dinners with friends and family. To spend this time of the year comfortably in your home, you need it to be warm and cosy. No one wants to be in a home where there are drafts and the temperature is close to the outside one.
For this reason, it is necessary to take care in advance before the onset of the first frost to carry out procedures that will not allow heat to leave your home. In addition to finishing measures and insulation of facades, it is worth considering the issue of the door and window replacement, because these are items that significantly affect the preservation of heat in the house. Old windows may not be sealed, allowing cold air to enter the home.
Why Insulate Your House
There are a number of reasons to increase the heat level in your home:
- Comfort. It’s unpleasant to feel how cold air literally walks across the floor during a snowstorm. And when there are small children living in the house, this can have a bad effect on their health.
- Savings on bills. A well-insulated house requires lower heating costs. Therefore, the better the building is insulated, the lower the energy consumption.
- House durability. House structures suffer from temperature changes: most materials can withstand only a certain number of freezing and defrosting cycles, and then become unusable. When approximately the same temperature and humidity are maintained throughout the entire house year-round, the structures are better preserved and the house will last longer.
What To Insulate First
Insulating the frame of a house is a complex undertaking. For example, when constructing a frame building, the entire external contour is insulated at once: walls and roof.
In an already finished house, it is better to determine the order of insulation using devices: a thermal imager or a pyrometer. These are devices that allow you to find heat leaks and show the temperature of structures. It is better to use a thermal imager when the temperature difference is maximum: the colder it is outside, the clearer the picture will be. Where the device detects cold, that’s where you need to increase thermal protection.
Materials
When it comes to energy efficiency in housing, one of the most important details is the materials used.
- Cellulose fibre
This is a modern environmentally friendly insulation material. Back in the last century, scientists discovered that cellulose fibre has useful thermal insulation properties. It is produced by converting waste paper into cellulose fibre. In addition, harmless chemicals are added to it, which give it the proper appearance. This allows you to insulate almost any building with cellulose fibre. - Mineral wool
This is a fibrous material that is obtained from rock melts, as well as metallurgical slags and their mixtures. Most often, global manufacturers of mineral wool products use rocks as raw materials. Thanks to this, mineral wool receives high quality characteristics, due to which it can be used for a long time. It is used when durable and reliable operation of buildings and structures is needed. - Fibreglass
This material is increasingly being used. It can become a wonderful thermal insulation material. If you want to choose high-quality and practical insulation, pay attention to this option.
The qualitative characteristics of fibreglass allow it to be used in various fields. It is not a flammable material and does not rot, does not absorb moisture. The material contains some air, so it has excellent thermal resistance. In addition, it also has a low density. All this makes it an excellent option for insulating a facade or a room from the inside.
- Polyurethane foam
In its structure, it is a porous, fine-celled material belonging to the group of plastics, which consists of 85-90 percent of the gas sphere.
Polyurethane foam is widely used in the insulation of residential apartment buildings, where it is used as the middle layer of thermal insulation structures, and in the insulation of country houses, cottages, hangars, warehouses and other objects where polyurethane foam spraying technologies are used.
Features Of Choosing Insulation For Different House Designs
The material is chosen depending on one or another element of the house structure.
- For walls
Vapour permeability is an important characteristic when insulating a wall. The heat insulator should easily release steam outside, and not lock it inside. If this happens, the insulation will begin to get wet and lose its characteristics. - For the foundation
The foundation is in contact with the ground, and in winter it is covered with snow, so the insulation must support the load and be impervious to water. It is useless to insulate the foundation with mineral wool: moisture will cause it to clump in a couple of winters. - For roofing
It is difficult to work in the attic and roof, so the insulation must be easy to install. This is especially important if the roof has a complex shape. The weight of the insulation also matters for the roof. In winter, snow often accumulates on the roof, and it can be distributed unevenly: on the northern part there are snowdrifts and icicles hanging a metre long, while the southern part is absolutely clean. This is already a serious load on the rafters, so it is better to choose a lightweight heat insulator.
Conclusion
Winter is a cold time, but by insulating your home in advance, you can enjoy comfort throughout the cold season. There are different insulation materials that need to be used wisely. Insulating a house is an important stage. But this is also a great opportunity to bring your family together and improve your home!
