Why insulation

Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow. It can make your home more comfortable by reducing the amount of heat escaping in winter and reducing the amount of heat entering in summer. By insulating you can significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The higher the R-value of insulation the more it slows heat flow and the better it works. Although ceilings and walls may be insulated, heat loss will still occur in winter if there are large areas of unprotected glass or through fixed wall vents and gaps and cracks around external doors.

Building Code of Australia recommends R 5 in the ceiling and R2. Works by trapping tiny pockets of still air within its structure. This air provides a barrier or resistance to heat flow. Resistance to heat flow R value is not seasonally dependent for bulk insulation. To be fully effective there needs to be an air gap of 25mm beside the reflective side of the insulation. Because reflective insulation works by reflecting radiant energy, it is more effective at higher temperatures and generally has a higher rating for summer R-values than for winter values.

A layer of foil under roof tiles provides R0. Conduction is the way heat moves through materials, such as when a spoon placed in a hot cup of coffee conducts heat through its handle to your hand. Convection is the way heat circulates through liquids and gases, and is why lighter, warmer air rises, and cooler, denser air sinks in your home.

Radiant heat travels in a straight line and heats anything solid in its path that absorbs its energy. Most common insulation materials work by slowing conductive heat flow and convective heat flow.

Radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems work by reducing radiant heat gain. To be effective, the reflective surface must be in contact with an air space. Regardless of the mechanism, heat flows from warmer to cooler areas until there is no longer a temperature difference. In your home, this means that in winter, heat flows directly from all heated living spaces to adjacent unheated attics, garages, basements, and especially to the outdoors.

Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors--wherever there is a difference in temperature.

During the cooling season, heat flows from the outdoors to the interior of a house. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system. Insulating concrete forms are systems of reinforce concrete that stay in place as a permanent interior and exterior substrate for roofs, walls, and floors.

The modular units interlock, are dry-stacked, and filled with concrete to create a form for the floors of a building. This is one of the most common methods of insulation construction for low-rise commercial, high-rise residential, energy efficient, and disaster resistant buildings. Bulk insulation and reflective insulation are the most common insulation materials.

Bulk insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow between the building and the outside. It can be purchased in rolls or boards, and it is typically made from glass wool, polyester, natural wool, or recycled paper. Reflective insulation is usually made from shiny aluminum foil that is laminated onto paper or plastic.

It is used to keep buildings cool during warm months by deflecting radiant heat. Insulating concrete forms are typically manufactured with polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, cement-bonded wood fiber, or cellular concrete. Engineers place reinforcing steel bars inside the form before the concrete is poured to give it flexible strength. Avoiding energy waste is not just about saving money and creating a healthier indoor environment; it also benefits the environment, energy security and the wider European economy.

Unfortunately, the substandard thermal performance of most buildings means that most Europeans end up spending far too much money on their energy bills. And as the price of oil rises, the cost of this waste continues to increase.