When considering energy efficiency improvements to your home the ‘Fabric First Approach’ will be your starting point! In a typical home 30% of all heat is lost through walls, 30% through the roof and 10-15% through the floor. Think of it as wrapping your entire home in a coat or blanket and keeping the heat inside.
Because: The cheapest energy is the one which you don’t use in the first place!
Attic insulation is a cheap and effective way to start to reduce the heat loss from your home. It can be installed either on the ceiling level between upper rooms and attic or along the pitched roof between and proud of rafters. Special attention has to be paid to the attic ventilation to avoid condensation build-up and damage to roof structure.
Your BER Assessor can advise you in an independent manner about the best solution for your home.
Floor insulation is best installed at the time of replacement of flooring, but a lot of homeowners are not aware of it. If, how much and what type of floor insulation is needed depends on the ground floor construction and age of your home. Draught-proofing will need to be addressed especially on suspended timber floors while maintaining proper ventilation of the void to protect the floor structure.
Your BER Assessor can advise you in an independent manner about the best solution for your home.
External wall insulation (EWI), cavity insulation and internal wall insulation (IWI).
Your BER Assessor can advise you on which type of wall insulation will be best for your home, one or a mix of several insulation types might be required.
External wall insulation is the most expensive, but also the most effective way of insulating your home. Scaffolding is required to install this composite system. First the insulation panels will be glued and mechanically fixed to the external walls of your building. Then your walls will be finished off with a glass fibre mesh and a weather protective render. Special attention needs to be given to the details around openings of windows and doors and also the abutting to foundations and roof. Advantages: will improve overall airtightness, the dew point lies on the exterior of the building, external wall structure can act as a storage of heat in the winter.
Cavity insulation is like the name implies only possible where the external walls are built with air cavity. A series of small holes are drilled in the walls from the outside and the insulation beads along with a bonding agent are pumped into the cavity. This is a cost effective option, but thermal bridging can be a problem.
Internal insulation, also known as drylining, involves fixing of insulation boards to the inside of the external walls, followed by a vapour control layer, plasterboard, skim and paint.
Points of concern: less internal space, cold bridges, special attention to detail between floors and around openings, requires good internal ventilation, external dampness and cracks in walls need to be addressed first, exposure to rain pressure must be limited.
Check out the grants sections for available SEAI’s Better Energy Home grants!