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Internal wall insulation

Pros
Internal glasswool wall insulation between studs. Timber itself
can be a thermal bridge in a super-insulated home.

may be easier to accomplish, especially one wall at a time


ideal to do when decorating
cheaper than external insulation.
Cons

there is a loss of internal space


it is disruptive to residents
the heat storage value of the wall is lost, so heat will leave
quickly with the air

it is necessary to move electrical sockets and light


switches

character features such as skirting boards, door frames,


coving, panelling and picture rails present a problem

compatibility with door fittings must also be checked.


Challenges
Applying internal wall insulation in between studwork. A vapour
control layer is vital.

do not cover electrical cables with insulation as they may


overheat:use cover strips or place in ducts

thermal bridging may occur where ceilings, floors and


internal walls join the main outside wall, so insulation should
continue along internal walls for up to a couple of metres

an intelligent vapour control layer must be installed (see


below)

a single nail driven by a residents into the dry lining or


vapour control layer behind the plasterboard can ruin it. One
solution is a service zone separate from the plasterboard but
this takes up more space. Can you guarantee residents will
always locate and bang nails into the vertical studs?
External wall insulation

External wall insulation has improved the appearance and


added weather protection to the house on the left making it
more energy efficient.
External wall insulation involves applying an insulating layer
and a decorative weatherproof finish to the outside wall of a
building. The external cladding or render is generally the major
cost, so you want to maximize the amount of insulation to
maximize the benefits.
Pros

improves weather protection


provides noise insulation
Cross section of external wall insulation.

its easier to take care of thermal bridges such as exposed


concrete frame or window sill
preserves the value of the thermal mass of the walls in
regulating temperature inside
depending on thickness, any value of insulation can be
achieved
no inconvenience to occupants
internal or interstitial condensation and damp is banished
any gaps and cracks in the wall, or poor rendering, are
covered up
the detailing around windows and doors is more easily
managed
airtightness can be better preserved
you can insulate a whole block or terrace at once
any dew point, where water vapour leaving the inside
condenses onto a cold surface in the wall, will be nearer the
outside.
Challenges
Installing external wall insulation

if there is not sufficient roof overhang, the top of the


extended wall must be sloped, weatherproofed, and guttering
fitted

may need planning permission ask the planning


department
downpipes and other projections, or service entry points,
must be dealt with
the damp proof course and window trickle vents must not
be covered
may not be possible with listed buildings or in
conservation areas
it might be more expensive (9,500 to 13,000),
especially if scaffolding is factored in, unless carried out at the
same time as other external work.
General points
The Steico external wall insulation system uses interlocking
waterproofed wood fibreboard over studs infilled with wood
fibreboard batts, protected by two applications of a proprietary
lime render.

When taking insulation into window and door reveals,


whether internally or externally, use the maximum width
allowed by the amount of frame.

External insulation is covered by some kind of render to


protect it from the elements. Lime render is preferable as it is
breathable. Acrylic renders are also widely used, but these,
being plastic, are not breathable. Both are flexible to a point
and can be coloured in any number of tints.

The path of the airtightness barrier around the skin of the


building should be mapped during planning of the work, so that
it joins up around all edges of the wall.
Intelligent membranes
Airtight membranes with variable vapour resistance are known
as intelligent membranes. These have the almost magical
property of being able to resist vapour migrating into structural
elements, particularly in timber frame constructions, to fight
interstitial condensation over the lifetime of the building. They
are recommended for solid walls whether the insulation is
internal or external.
They consist of a sheet with various layers that allow or
obstruct moisture-laid air from passing through it according to

the relative humidity, temperatures and pressures on either


side. For example, if a room has high temperature and humidity
and it is cold on the outside it would prevent the moisture from
travelling outwards and risk condensing on cold surfaces.
Conversely, when it is cooler on the inside and there is less
humidity, moisture can gradually return to help dry out the
interstitial space.
Andy Simmonds Grove Cottage, Hereford, the first Passivhaus
standard retrofit in the UK. Andy is CEO of the AECB. The
thermal image shows the benefit. Andy used a foot of expanded
polystyrene to achieve this effect, which is literally
outstanding from the houses either side.
Conclusion
Walls should have a U-value of less than 0.30 W/m2K to meet
Building Regulations. Around 120mm of insulation will usually
achieve this. Half of this value, i.e. double this depth, should on
average be aimed for to achieve around Passivhaus standard.
Insulating external walls can save on average between 450
and 500 a year on heating costs, and around 1.8-2 tonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions for a typical dwelling.
The payback on internal insulation is around 10-11 years, and
on external insulation around 15-17 years on average, but this
really depends on the amount of insulation applied, the way the
building is occupied and the state of the rest of the dwelling, so
this figure should be confirmed in individual cases.
In an earlier article, I compared and ranked the best thermal
insulation materials. Of relevance to this topic is that walls
should be able to breathe in order to prevent condensation.
This means that the best choice is natural materials, including
wood fibreboard, mineral wool batts and rolls. Polyurethane,
polystyrene and phenolic foam boards do not breathe.
So, is it best to insulate on the inside or the outside of an
external wall? There is no one definitive answer to this
question, as it depends on the particular case. However, all
other things being equal, external will give better results than
internal insulation.

Low Energy House - About House Insulation - Home Insulation


In order to maintain comfortable conditions inside a
house, without wasteful use of the heating system, the
insulation in the roof, external walls and ground floor
must provide a continuous barrier to the passage of
heat to the external air

House Insulation - Loft Insulation


Loft insulation is required to delay the escape of warm air, from
the heated parts of the house, through the roof. Typically, loft
insulation is installed in two layers.

The first layer is laid between the timber joists at the loft floor
level. Because heat can be lost through the joists themselves a
second layer of insulation is laid across the top of the joists, at
right angles to them.
House Insulation - Rafter Insulation
To create a heated room in a roof space, roof insulation will be
required. Because heat can be lost by conduction through the
roof timbers themselves, additional insulation is required above
or below the rafter line. The relative thicknesses of the two
insulating layers will depend on the thermal value of the
selected insulating material.
House Insulation - Insulated Cavity Walls
Cavity wall insulation must be installed to delay the escape of
warm air, from the heated parts of the house, escaping through
the external walls. In recent years, because Building
Regulations have demanded higher standards of thermal
insulation in buildings, wider cavities have been created to
accommodate more thermal insulation.
House Insulation - Suspended Ground Floor Insulation
In suspended timber ground floor construction, care is needed
to minimise the draughts from the ventilated space beneath
the floor. Timber battens and ply board supports, or proprietary
netting supports, are constructed between the joists. Quilt,
loose fibre or rigid board insulating material is then laid on the
supports. To prevent air movement through the floor, an airtight
breather membrane is fixed to the underside of the joists and
turned up at the edges.
House Insulation - Solid Ground Floor Insulation
Concrete ground floors can have high density rigid board
insulation fitted above the concrete slab or below the concrete
slab. If insulation is installed above the slab, the building will
heat up and cool down quickly in response to the heating
system. If the insulation is installed below the slab the thermal
capacity of the building will be increased and the solid floor

structure will absorb heat and release it into the rooms


gradually over a period of time.
Existing House Insulation - Loft Insulation Materials
If the existing loft insulation material is in good condition it can
be left in place and a layer of top up loft insulation can be
added to it to bring the thickness up to the level of the top of
the joists. A further layer of loft insulation material can be laid
across the joists at right angles to reduce heat loss through the
joists themselves. The top layer of insulation should have a
minimum thickness of 200mm (8 inches).
Existing House Insulation - Cavity Insulation
Cavity insulation involves the mechanical injection of a suitable
insulation material into the wall cavity of an existing house.
Holes are drilled into the joints of the outside brickwork and the
insulation material is blown into the cavity, via an injection
nozzle, until it completely fills the void. When the injection
process is finished the holes are made-good to match the
existing mortar as closely as possible.
It is essential to find the most effective way of
insulating external building elements to the highest
affordable standard. In addition to the environmental
benefits of energy saving, and reduced carbon dioxide
emissions, insulation will increase comfort inside the
dwelling
Low Energy House - Insulation Materials - About Insulation
Insulating the building envelope is the most important
of all energy conservation measures because it has the
greatest impact on energy expenditure. In the average
house, well designed and installed insulation can reduce
the amount of heat lost through the building envelope
by at least half
Insulation Materials

Glass wool insulation and Rock Wool insulation materials


are efficient fibrous insulating materials that are fire proof
and commonly installed in lofts and external cavity walls
Urethane insulation is a highly efficient insulating material
that can achieve very low U-values with minimum material
thickness
Phenolic insulation is a highly efficient insulating material
that has better fire properties than other rigid foam plastic
boards
High density polystyrene insulation boards are popular for
insulating roofs and ground floors as they are a highly
efficient insulant with a high compressive strength
Cellulose insulation is an efficient insulant that has low
embodied energy as it is produced from recycled paper
Sheep wool insulation is a sustainable material and its low
conductivity compares favourably with other fibrous
insulants
Aerogels are extremely low density solids with remarkably
high insulating properties
Foil Insulation is a very effective insulant when installed
adjacent to an unventilated air space
If the external walls are constructed of solid masonry
theninsulated dry lining can be applied internally
Insulation Materials - Building Regulations
Minimum legal requirements for thermal performance in
buildings have been introduced and tightened up progressively,
with the aim of reducing energy consumption and carbon
emissions.
It may be desirable to increase the thickness of
insulation to further improve the thermal comfort of the
dwelling and make more savings. In the context of the

insulation project, extra thicknesses of insulation can


often be provided for little extra cost
Low Energy House - What is Super Insulation?
Super insulation significantly reduces the transfer of
heat through the walls, roof and ground floor of a
house. Special attention must be given to the
elimination of thermal cold bridges, particularly where
walls meet roof, foundations and intersecting walls
Super Insulation

Super insulation is an approach to house design and


construction that evolved in North America in the 1970s. The
principles of super insulation were developed to make timber
framed houses more thermally efficient. Timber framed houses
are of lightweight construction and therefore rapidly heat up
and cool down.
Traditionally, timber framed houses were insulated with mineral
wool or cellulose insulation. To increase the performance of the
insulation it was usual to construct thicker timber framed walls
so that increased thicknesses of insulation could be fitted.
This concept is still valid but, as additional layers of insulation
are added, the law of diminishing returns operates until, at
some point, one of the additional layers does not constitute
value for money.
Today there is a good selection of insulation types to choose
from and some, particularly rigid urethane and rigid phenolic
boards with reflective facings, can be tightly packed into the
timber structure and will achieve very good thermal values
Super Insulation in New Houses
To achieve super insulation in new houses the practical solution
is to use a combination of high or medium thermal value
insulating material with slightly thicker walls. Manufacturers will

provide free U-value calculations for alternative thicknesses of


material.
Super Insulation - Timber Frame Construction
In new construction, the cost of any extra insulation and wall
framing should be offset by the elimination of a conventional
central heating system. With the increasing need for energy
efficiency, even deeper studs are being specified.
The most common option is to increase the depth of the studs,
from the usual 140mm to 200mm deep, to allow more
insulation to be incorporated. For sections deeper than 200mm
the use of solid timber is unlikely to be uneconomical. For very
thick walls, double stud or planted timber batten systems may
be more economical than a composite section.

Super Insulated House Design typically includes:


High value thermal insulation in the roof, walls and ground
floor
Continuously insulated building envelope with no cold
bridges
Airtight construction, especially at doors and windows
Triple Glazed Windows
A Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation System
A minimal back-up heating system
Triple Glazing Windows
Energy efficient, high performance, windows offer excellent
thermal performance in a house that is heated by a
conventional heating system.
In the case of super insulated houses the windows are
thermally the weakest point in the building envelope. To

overcome this problem it is advisable to improve on double


glazing and to install triple glazed high performance windows
with Low E glass and inert gas fill.
Airtightness of Super Insulation
In a super insulated house, the building envelope must be
made airtight with robust detailing, in order to keep the heat
loss to a minimum and to maintain comfortable air
temperatures. Careful sealing of every construction joint around
doors and windows and at all service penetrations is
particularly important.
Super Insulation and Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation
In a super insulated house, heat loss through ventilation can
become a serious problem. Mechanical heat recovery
ventilation systems with a heat recovery rate of over 80 per
cent are employed to maintain air quality and to recover
sufficient heat to reduce, or dispense with, a conventional
central heating system.

Super Insulation and Heating from Intrinsic Heat Sources


A super insulated house is intended to be heated
predominantly from intrinsic heat sources using heat gains from
the body heat of the occupants, solar heat gain, lighting,
domestic appliances and other electrical equipment.
Super Insulation and Building Regulations
Building Regulations require external walls to have thermal
performance levels by way of insulation and airtightness.
Durability of the timber frame is an essential requirement, as
walls need to provide support for the cladding materials.
External walls are required to have appropriate fire resistance
and internal spread of flame characteristics. In addition,
Housing Warranty and Guarantee Authorities have specific
requirements for aspects such as sheathing materials, breather

membranes and the preservative treatment of external wall


framing.
Thermal Values of Super Insulation
The advantages of super insulation should be achieved when
the overall fabric U-value is below 0.2 W/mK.
The performance of an insulating material relies on the
amount of air trapped within it. If that air is kept dry
and still then less heat can get into or past the material
and the higher its insulating capacity will be
About Super Insulation - Airtightness - Home Insulation

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