Having good insulation in your home means you can enjoy a more comfortable environment all year round (especially during the months of extreme cold or heat) and at the same time reduce energy consumption. With this small gesture, which involves investing in quality elements that effectively protect the house from the outside, everyone wins. Here are some tips on how to improve home insulation.
What is thermal insulation?
The thermal insulation of a house includes the materials, elements and techniques used to reduce heat transfer. In this sense, conductivity is the physical property that measures the insulating capacity of each material: the lower the conductivity of a material or installation, the better we are insulating the house.
Good thermal insulation begins with the choice of construction elements used in façades, walls, ceilings, etc. As well as the configuration and distribution of the space itself. The aim should always be to make the most of the weather conditions outside and use them to our advantage, as well as choosing suitable materials and techniques depending on the specific characteristics of the area in which the house is located.
As owners of a property that has already been built, we can do many things to improve the insulation of the house: renovate the carpentry, modify the distribution of the property, use floors that insulate to a greater extent, make use of appropriate textiles, cool as necessary through exterior or interior vegetation...
Types of thermal insulation
There are many ways of classifying the different thermal insulators on the market. For example, depending on the type of material they are made of. So, when choosing a thermal insulator, we can opt for synthetic insulators, natural insulators and mineral wools:
- Synthetic insulators: This type of insulation is made from synthetic materials. This is the case with expanded polystyrene, extracted polystyrene or polyurethane.
- Natural insulators: Certain natural fibers and other materials naturally present in our environment offer great performance in terms of thermal insulation. This is the case with cork, cellulose, sheep's wool, cotton, coconut fiber and flax. They are also biodegradable and very environmentally friendly.
- Mineral wools: These are widely used and the best known are rock wool and glass wool. They not only offer thermal insulation, but also acoustic insulation.
What is thermal insulation good for?
There are many advantages to thermal insulation:
- We gain a more comfortable home;
- We gain health - a well-insulated space will help protect the health of the whole family, as the temperature will always be pleasant; in addition, the air needs to be renewed, but its quality is also important. Humidity and the dreaded mold should be avoided.
- Reduce energy consumption: a well-insulated house will be able to maintain the internal temperature for longer, so the use of air conditioning systems will be much more efficient. What's more, if you invest in the right elements to make the most of the heat or shade outside each time of year, you'll be avoiding extra consumption. The same applies to investing in renewable energy sources for the home.
- You'll save money: electricity or gas costs will be significantly reduced thanks to good insulation.
How to insulate a house
One of the big problems we encounter when we want to improve the thermal insulation of a house integrated into a building is that, if it's an old building, it's likely that the materials used won't guarantee low heat transfer.
The different regulations on energy efficiency in the construction of new buildings are very recent, so many old buildings don't meet these requirements.
If we encounter this problem, it will probably be very difficult for the entire community of owners to agree to invest in improving the structural insulation of the building.
How to insulate a house from the inside
There are many different techniques for doing this. For example, it is common for some old buildings to have an empty layer inside the façade walls that allows them to be filled with some insulating material. This refilling can be carried out using blown-in expandable materials and without the need for major works.
It is also possible to redo the inner layer of the façade, something that will be much more expensive but much more effective. Another option is to install a new layer (which will be the visible wall in the property) with insulating characteristics.
Don't forget the importance of ceilings and floors: you can improve the insulation of the house by installing a false ceiling that contains extra layers of insulation (although continuous solutions are always better) and by choosing floors that maintain the temperature better, using insulating layers adapted to your needs. For example, you'll find different qualities of thermal and acoustic insulation to install under a floor.
If it's not in your plans to touch structural elements, you can always improve the efficiency of the house by investing in highly insulating quality carpentry. It is advisable to choose windows with PVC “swing” frames that have two 4 mm glass panels and a 16 mm air chamber between the two layers of glass.
Other small gestures can be of great help: ventilate at the right times, make good use of awnings and blinds, use different fabrics in summer and winter (thickness and shade can help retain heat or the opposite), use plants to cool or add an "extra layer".
Source: idealista/news