|
You put a hat on your head and keep your body heat in.
Thermal insulation in your roof will do the same for your house!
If you do not have insulation in your roof, up to 30% of your heat could escape, costing you money and contributing to atmospheric pollution and global warming.
If you have already insulated your roof, you may want to replace it or add another layer to improve its performance and bring it up to current Building Regulations Standards.
Insulating the 50sqm attic space of a typical house costs around m400 and could save approximately m130 a year (up to 20% of your fuel bill) so it would pay for itself in about three years. Insulating a flat roof of the same size could cost about m1, 000 and will pay for itself in around five years. As well as saving your money, you will be helping to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other environmentally polluting substances.
If you have a pitched roof with an attic space, it can be insulated in many ways.
Probably the simplest is to lay quilt, such as glass fibre quilt or mineral fibre quilt in a roll between the ceiling joists and a second layer in the opposite direction over the joists.
Another method is to have shredded glass fibre, mineral fibre or cellulose fibre blown into the attic between and above ceiling joists. This method requires a professional contractor. Be careful not to compress fibreglass insulation, otherwise it will lose part of its insulating value. So, if boarding is to be put down in some areas of the attic for storage, it should not compress the insulation.
After the attic is insulated at joist level, its temperature is reduced, so you must insulate the water storage tank and pipes.
The water storage tank can be insulated with any semi-rigid insulating board and the pipes with closed cell neoprene, polyethylene, glass fibre and mineral fibre in pipe section form.
Insulation of attic room
When converting your attic into a room, insulation is placed in between the rafters.
The insulation can be semi-rigid insulation boards such as expanded polystyrene board,
extruded polystyrene board, glass fibre batts, mineral fibre batts, urethane foam board or phenolic foam boards.
Some contractors also offer a spray-on cellulose fibre or polyurethane foam insulation system between rafters. If a first layer of insulation is placed between rafters, a second, thin layer applied to the underside of the rafters avoids thermal bridging. Glass fibre quilt and mineral fibre quilt can also be used. A vapour check should be installed on the warm side of the insulation and ventilation above.
These materials can be held in place by a plaster lining board, which also provides the necessary fire protection. Lining boards can have integral insulation backings, such as glass-fibre-backed insulated plaster and urethane-foam-backed insulated plasterboard, often lined with aluminium foil.
The majority of Irish houses have a pitched roof, which is the easiest type to insulate and with a little care and guidance can be insulated by yourself.
Attic conversions are more complicated as the roof structure has to be insulated, so the appointment of a building contractor is advised.
Insulation is available from builders' providers, DIY and hardware stores and specialist contractors.
Buy insulation from a reputable supplier who can help you choose the most suitable insulation for your roof type.
If using glass or mineral fibre wool insulation, specify a minimum thickness of 100mm between joists and 150mm across joists. To find out how much insulation you need, check the measurements between the joists, their length and the number of joist spaces in your attic.
|
