Find an Insulation Installer you can trust in Barkingside.

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.

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.

Damp issues on a property are usually generated by a lot of factors such as a poor or broken guttering, condensation and lots more. The question arising here is what is the possibility of External Wall Insulation (EWI) preventing condensation? Not only is EWI a reliable way to reduce condensation-caused damp, but it’s also one of the major reasons property owners in solid wall homes consider thermally rendering or cladding their external walls.

Condensation arises as a result of warm moist internal air hitting a cold surface such as the steaming up of both windows and mirror when having a shower. What happens here is the condensation of the water vapour in the air from a gas to liquid in the process of touching the cold surface - one whose temperature is significantly reduced to reach the dew point. At the dew point, condensation is very rampant, and to tackle this issue you’ll have to heighten the wall temperature in order to convert the moisture to vapour and permit it to pass through the wall. And that’s exactly the job of an external wall insulation!

To get started you must ensure that the walls are clean and dry prior to fitting the external wall insulation. The month of May through to September when the weather tends to be dry and more stable are usually the best period to carry out the project. The external wall insulation will function just like a cosy blanket around the building. Ultimately, changing the feel and temperature of the inside of your home. As a result, the previously cold walls will no longer be cold which goes a long way to mitigate the effects of condensation. Furthermore, when an EWI is installed, the rooms of your home will automatically trap more thermal mass as the heat is saved in the walls’ fabric and released back when the temperature drops.

External Wall Insulation (EWI) is the act of insulating a home by fitting insulation to the exterior parts of the building which in turn improves thermal performance, cuts energy consumption ( savings on energy bill) and also adds to the home’s visual appeal. The systems are built in multiple layers, with the insulation board offering a plethora of options with each being suitable to varying projects and their needs. Installing an external wall insulation comes with a variety of benefits, let’s have a look!

• Thermal Performance Improvement

With EWI, the thermal inertia of the walls are greatly enhanced while also restricting the loss of heat. Ultimately, this lowers heating costs, enhances the comfort of indoor thermal and also reduces CO2 pollution.

• Eliminates Noise Pollution

When the noise levels are high, it can have a bad impact on our overall well being. A great way to reduce the disturbances from the outside like traffic noise is by fitting an External Wall Installation system.

• More Comfortable Living Space

Do you know the damp in homes can contribute to respiratory problems? A properly insulated home will greatly limit the impact of condensation by combating the damp issues. As a result, you can always expect your house to be cosy and comfy irrespective of the season. A cooler summer and warmer spring is guaranteed with EWI.

• Enhances The Property’s Visual Appeal

Looking for an excuse to rejuvenate your home’s aesthetic appeal? Well, you can as well try out adding an EWI system. There are a plethora of unique colours and styles you can pick from to beautify your home effortlessly.

• Adds Value To Property

An insulated home will generally cost more than an uninsulated one at the time of resale. Potential home buyers are more interested in the acquisition of a home with an EWI system due to its various benefits - and a higher demand can only imply a higher price!

External wall insulation works to keep your home cosy and comfy while also helping to cut the energy bills. However with the great benefits also comes great costs, so it’s actually a logical decision to know whether there are grants out there which you’re eligible for to help you handle the cost of the external wall insulation.

There are grants available for external wall insulation, but rarely will you find one that covers the full installation cost. With the help of the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, a couple of energy companies assist in making your home more energy efficient by offering grants or free insulation. In certain cases whereby you receive particular state benefits, you may as well qualify for a higher grant that’ll cover more of the insulation cost.

However, if your energy supplier doesn’t offer any grant, you need not worry as you can save as much on energy bill after installation. Here’s what insulation can help you save per year on energy bills:

• Floor insulation can help you save within a range of £30 to £75 each year.

• Cavity wall insulation can help you save about £85 to £280 a year.

• Loft Insulation (270mm) can help you save about £135 to £250 a year.

Generally, the amount you’ll be able to save on your energy bills depends mainly on the type and size of your property, as well as how energy efficient it already is without the insulation. In the long run, your external wall insulation will more than give you back your investment on the valuable project through your savings on energy bills. In other words, whether or not you’re eligible for a grant should never stop you from installing an external wall insulation.

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.

If you want to install an external wall, it is only wise to consider whether or not a planning permission is required in order to avoid a hefty fine. In a great kudos to the government and a welcome relief to home and property owners, the installation of external wall insulation is seen as an “improvement to the house and not an “extension or an “enlargement. Ultimately, this implies that external wall insulation fitting is to be done under permitted development and a planning application may not be required. However, like many other regulations, there are also exceptions to this rule and the main one is if the activity changes the appearance of your property. Properties such as a listed building having tighter regulations may pose some issues. As a result, we’d advise you to consult your local authority to ensure that there’s no fast rule to this topic before commencement of the external wall insulation project.

At the moment, according to the Government Building Regulations, the surface of the entire wall is to be improved to existing standards if the area to be insulated exceeds 25 percent of the wall. In normal situations this is usually the typical case, however to prevent avoidable fines and other possible punishments, it is always best to reach to your local authority and check out the rules guiding external wall insulation in your constituency. Furthermore, since external wall insulation is not a task that’s recommended to be done by yourself, you can also ask the professional external wall insulation fitting company for the applying rules before proceeding. As a good professional, the company should have a better knowledge of the rules and regulation guiding its activities.

A lot of an uninsulated property’s heat is lost through the roof and that’s even more alarming, when you realize this figure is up to a quarter of the total heat of the house. Hence, the tremendous importance of preventing this heat loss through loft insulation which will go a long way to help you against spending unnecessary thousands of pounds on heating bill as well as energy loss.

Loft insulation is an effective method to achieve the desired result, however the question is, how exactly does it work? Well, it’s time to find out!

Using either a fireplace or central heating to heat up your home, a large quantity of that heat would be lost through the roof of your home. Generally, heat rises and when it does, there’s simply no way to prevent it - it’s just science. Escaping by both the conduction and convection methods via your roof, the heat escaping through your ceiling, into the loft space and out into the open air outside can only be significantly reduced by laying loft insulation.

Generally, the added layer of insulation works by trapping the heat inside the room below the loft so as to enable the air within your house to stay warmer for longer. What’s more? The layer of insulation also keeps cold air from the outside from entering your home. As a result, you don’t have to heat your home as much in order to achieve the same temperature for each individual room. Over time, just by doing this you can potentially save hundreds pounds. Getting it installed in your home may actually seem a bit expensive at first, but it’s something that’ll eventually pay off.