Insulation - The first step to an effective system! Part 1

If you have considered installing a renewable energy system (RES) for your existing property in the past few years, you will no doubt have been swamped by various companies offering different systems and telling you why they are the best option for you. No doubt many of these systems will have a positive influence on your property in terms of economic savings and reduction in carbon emissions. But what is very important to understand is that without properly addressing the efficiency of your property, you will never get the maximum effect off a RES. Looking at your insulation is a very important and effective step to take before considering a renewable system. There are a number of reasons for this:
1) The cost of insulating a property is far lower than introducing a RES. There are various grants available to make it even cheaper
2) You can save up to 30% of your heating costs simply by insulating your property more effectively.
3) The pay back time is very short due to low cost and big savings potential.
4) Insulating your property first will result in a significantly lower heating requirement hence a reduced need for a larger RES, which will also result in lower costs for future installations.

Where can improvements be made?
Everywhere really!! The list below are some of the main areas one should focus on to reduce the leakiness of an existing property
Walls - Depending on the type of wall you have at your property, there are a few ways to reduce the U-value (the speed at which heat is lost through the various materials).A cavity wall generally exists of two leaves of masonry, an outer and an inner leaf. They are usually separated by a cavity between 50mm and 85mm wide. The wider the cavity, the better the insulation and less risk of rain penetration. Provided your cavity wall in less than 12 metres high (36 feet), a cavity fill would be a suitable option. Naturally there are a few important assessments that the professional contractors must make prior to filling a cavity wall. Once it has been determined that the wall does in fact have a cavity, it is important that the following procedures are undertaken:

• Inpsecting the general condition of the external wall and indenifying any structural defects that would have to be addressed prior to cavity filling.
  
• Inspecting internal wall for any dampness and address any problem prior to insulation
• Identify any flues or ventilators prior to cavity fill
• Finding out whether neighbours on adjuoining properties have already undetaken cavity fills

The job should be carried out by a CIGA approved (Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) installer to ensure a 25 year government backed guarantee is issued upon completion of works.
The process of filling cavity walls does not disrupt the homeowner as the work is carried out by drilling holes from the exterior wall and injecting the insulation material before making good again with matching mortar or render.
Other types of wall insulation would be on solid walls (no cavity) where insulation would have to be added on the internal or external walls of the property. Internal wall insulation, despite being cheaper than external wall insulation, would naturally result in serious disruption for the occupiers as major works would have to be carried out. It is advisable to insulate the internal walls of a property in conjunction with a full refurbishment or modernisation. There are two main tyes of internal insulation: Directly applied insulation and internal insulation with studwork. It is worth keeping in mind that internal insulation can reduce the size of a room which can have detrimental effects in smaller properties.
External wall insualtion is a large undertaking and should only really be considered for properties or blocks of flats that require periodic re-rendering or where major improvements are needed to address issues of rain penetration. In these cases, the extra cost of additional insulation is relatively low.

End Part 1