Find an Insulation Installer you can trust in Leominster.

With cavity walls being very similar to other type of brick works, it can be quite confusing to figure out the type of wall your property possesses. If your house was constructed after the 1920s, then its highly likely the you have cavity walls, while older houses (houses before the 1920s) are likely to have solid walls. What’s more? If you happen to own a home that was built in the last decade, then it’s very possible that it was built with insulation installed during construction.

An effective way to determine whether or not your property is built with cavity wall is to examine the brickwork on your home’s exterior. The bricks will typically possess a regular pattern if it features cavity walls. In the event whereby the brick work is covered by render, you can also figure it out by taking a measurement of the wall’s width. If the brick wall is beyond 3000mm in thickness ( from the exterior wall to the interior wall), then it probably features a cavity. Meanwhile, a wall that’s narrower is very likely to be solid. Stone walls, on the other hand, may actually be thicker but are most times solid.

In a situation whereby your house is built using steel frame or timber frame, or made using pre-fabricated concrete, there are varying rules that applies when it comes to insulation and should be examined by an expert before any insulation is installed. More often than not, most contractors will have installed special air vents, which can also be a good indicator that a cavity wall insulation has been done.

Cavity wall insulation is basically the process of installing an insulating material between the two layers of brick making up a cavity wall, either as a retrofit measure or at the time of building. Obviously this is not a choice if you have solid wall, but for those who do possess a cavity wall, it represents an opportunity you may not want to let slide as it is a worthwhile and affordable wall insulation option. Clearly, cavity wall insulation will make your home or property feel warmer, but it also does come with a range of other benefits which is why we’d recommend installing it. In this post, we’re going to look at a number of reasons why having a cavity wall insulation done is a good idea.

• It’s one of the cheapest energy saving measures that’s available. Not only is cavity wall insulation really effective, but it can also deliver great saving. In other words, it possesses a bigger payback compared to other options. When compared to other types of insulation, you can’t install cavity walls insulation by yourself, however it’s not so expensive to have it installed. The cost of the insulation will be determined by a number of factors such as your location, the company hired and more.
• It reduces your energy bills. Cavity wall insulation can save you about £100 to £200 on a yearly basis on heating bills. In other words, this is usually able to pay for itself in as little as two years.
• It reduces your carbon carbon footprint. If your home is heated with gas or electricity like several other homes, producing that energy involves burning fossil fuels which is known to be hazardous for the environment. If the heat generated is now allowed to escape through the walls, that means you’d have to use more to keep up your required temperature. Installation of cavity wall insulation in homes will enable a more efficient usage of the energy which will ultimately cut UK’s carbon usage.

In recent times, more and more home and property owners are starting to come to terms with the large returns and little investment in cavity wall insulation provides. For a relatively little amount you can achieve a lot, from an increase in your home’s energy efficiency and reduction in heating bills to a huge boost in your property’s resale value and lots more. This makes you wonder how an ordinary insulation can help you achieve so much, right? Well, you’re definitely not alone! Several other potential investors are also eager to know exactly how the cavity wall insulation works to deliver all these juicy benefits. In this post, we’re going to go provide you with a detailed insight on how cavity wall insulation works. Let’s take a look!

Typically, cavity wall insulation works as acting as a shield which prevents the escape of heat from your home. It features a reflective surface which serves as a barrier to reflect heat from one side of the panel, effectively minimizing the amount of heat conduction that escapes through. This protection of your home from heat penetration comes with a couple of benefits with the obvious one being an incredible thermal efficiency. An insulated home or property is able to maintain a much more balanced temperature throughout the year – staying a lot cooler during the summer months and retain the heat generated during the winter months. However, a less talked about benefit is the fact that when an insulation is done during the construction of a house, the whole development phase can be completed a lot quicker. This is mainly because insulation offers total protection against weather conditions which enables internal trades to continue without the need to wait for brickwork or cladding to be completed.

Insulating a cavity wall should not affect the damp proofing of the wall. All insulation approved for use in cavity walls has been tested to ensure that it does not allow damp to pass through the wall. Some walls which receive a lot of wind driven rain are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, loft insulation does cause condensation. Over the years, problems with condensation in loft spaces have become increasingly common. While this may not be harmful in anyway, when the condensation becomes excessive it can lead to more serious issues taking root in your loft like wet rot, dry rot as well as black spot mould. Generally, the best thing to do if you’re concerned about the condensation in your loft space and that it may rapidly become a bigger problem is to get in touch with a damp specialist as soon as possible.

Even though insulating your loft space comes with a wide array of benefits like making the top floor rooms warmer, it’s however comes at the cost of making your loft or room space cooler. Condensation in lofts take place primarily due to the humid air making its way through insulation or other gaps into the loft space and touching a cooler surface which in turn results in beads of moisture on the timbers, lintels as well as the underside of the roof. This is why its always a great idea make use of thermal insulation with a vapour barrier that’s installed on the warmer side of the insulating material.

Condensation in loft is caused by excess moisture in the air and lack of adequate air ventilation. Here are some top reasons that gives rise to this in the loft:

• Extra insulation has been installed in the loft leading to a restriction on the natural air circulation in the property.
• When the storage boxes or other items that has been stockpiled in the loft blocks the roof vents.
• The release of steam and moist air into the loft space by hot water tanks.

With the numerous benefits that comes with the installation of an external wall insulation in a building, it’s also important to find out whether it’s also safe before proceeding to fit one in your home. Firstly, to ensure that external wall insulation systems are safe, they must be BBA approved, which means they’ve been subjected to a thorough testing by the British Board of Agrement and therefore, suitable for use in UK homes.

Given the fact that cladding materials have recently generated a lot of debate and negative press about how reliable some particular materials are, questions are being asked of the safety and reliability of external wall insulation. However we must clarify that, although external wall insulation can be classified under cladding, it is very different to rainscreen cladding - which caused the Grenfell fire tragedy.

External wall insulation is completely safe. However, when it comes to fire, the safety of your system depends largely on the insulation type in question. The safest type of insulation you can have installed is the Rockwool insulation boards which are rated as Euroclass A1 non-combustible. The board is specially designed in such a way that it contains fire - preventing it from reaching the other areas of the building. They also do not produce harmful emission or smoke when impacted by fire.

Meanwhile, the Wood Fibre, is also a great insulation which is known to char and not burn. Contrary to many beliefs, it actually burns slowly creating this charring effect which produces an oxygen barrier that helps reduce the spread of fire.

To make your system safer, you can also make use of Fibreglass Mesh for reinforcement. It helps to improve the strength of the tensile which promotes the security of the boards attached to the wall.

If you have a loft, then the next thing that’s crucial is a loft insulation. Asides from cutting down on your carbon footprint, when you’re able to install an effective loft insulation you can slash your heating bills by up to £250 per year. What’s more? Besides making your home more energy efficient, it can also increase the value of your property a great deal. So if you’re also considering the insulation of your loft, one of the few things that comes to mind is, what loft insulation is the best to incorporate? In order to help you make the best informed decision possible, this post is going to address this issue and put you on the right path.

In truth, there’s no way to say exactly which type of insulation is the best as all types usually have a different purpose as well as usage. The insulation you choose for your home’s loft is be based largely on the how you’re going to make use of the space as well as any unique challenges you might face given the shape of your home’s loft. Below are some types of insulation to give you a better idea:

• Blanket insulation. This is the most common type that comes in rolls of rock, glass or mineral fibre ( or foil-backed felt ). It normally the most affordable and also a good all-purpose insulation which is easy to fit although not suitable for the roof.
• Loose-fill insulation. This type of insulation features a loose, lightweight material such as cork granules, cellulose fibre, mineral wool etc. It can either be incorporated as a top up or on its own. The primary drawback is it isn’t very secure and can also be very messy.
• Sheet insulation. This is the best solution for the roof’s underside as it offers a highly effective insulation for your loft space and can also be decorated over. The drawback here is that it’s usually the most expensive type to purchase and install.

The best type of insulation for your property will depend on the type of walls and any insulation that’s already present. It’s usually a good idea to have some form of wall insulation as well as loft insulation, as this helps to prevent heat loss in both areas.