CONTACTS
1 Install high levels of insulation
Airgon 01618 201305 www.airgon.co.uk Beattie Passive 01953 687332 www. beattiepassive.comEnergy Saving Trust 0800 098 7950 www.energysavingtrust.org.ukEurostove 01934 750500 www.eurostove.co.ukHive www.hivehome.comInternorm 020 8205 9991 www.uk.internorm.comRockwool 01656 868490 www.rockwool.comWorcester Bosch 0330 123 9559 www.worcester-bosch.co.uk
Whether you’re retrofitting or building from scratch, taking a fabric-first approach can reduce the need for heating. It’s therefore one of the most surefire ways to cut down on energy and carbon costs in the long term. Insulating the walls, floor and roof of your home effectively is a key component to this approach.
If you’re self building, updated Building Regulations require high-quality insulation to be installed in new homes to meet energy efficiency targets. Many self builders aim to exceed these requirements. Creating a new home gives you a blank canvas to build-in thermal detailing from the get-go. Plus, modern methods of constructing – such as thin joint blockwork, timber frame, structural insulated panels (SIPs, see page 82) and insulated concrete formwork (ICF) – are all geared towards achieving great U-values (a measure of thermal performance). But good performance requires a blended approach, with quality design, manufacture and site practice vital to ensure your project also reduces air leakage and thermal bridging (where heat can escape at junctions between materials in the structural envelope).
If you’re renovating, picking the best-value eco upgrades is key – and improving insulation is often a safe bet. Where cavity walls lack insulation (typically those houses built approximately between 1920-1975), it can be injected it into the gap between the inner and outer leaves. Solid wall houses built pre-1919 won’t have a cavity. But, depending on the property, insulation can be fitted to the inside or outside of the structural walls. When dealing with older homes, you’ll almost certainly need to use vapour-open materials (such as woodfibre insulation) in order to preserve the building’s ability to breathe (allow moisture to evaporate). Existing suspended timber ground floors can also often be upgraded if access is possible to incorporate the material, while insulating an unoccupied loft space can be simple and cost-effective.