Necessary insulation qualities and arguments in favour of home insulation

Insulating homes is a subject that is given great importance in European countries and the issue of reducing heating fuel consumption is treated very seriously. New houses are built with the idea of the lowest possible subsequent energy costs in mind, using the best insulation materials, ingenious jointing solutions to eliminate thermal bridges or windows with 3 layers of glass. The problem arises, however, in old houses, be they apartment blocks or old houses with beautiful facades or historical value. But even for these there are solutions for effective thermal insulation. Even if there are opinions that argue against insulation, research results show that the problems can and must be solved, because thermal insulation not only ensures the comfort of the inhabitants but also protects the planet's resources.

Advantages of home insulation

Everyone who talks about home insulation says there are three basic principles:

• If you do it, do it well.
• Better sooner rather than later.
• Never cut corners on home insulation.

Basically a thermal insulation aims to restrict the flow of heat. This flow is determined by temperature differences between the inside and outside of the house. In winter, when it's cold outside, the heat in the house tends to go out, and in summer it tends to go in. In order to continue to have a pleasant environment in the house, the temperature decrease or increase must be compensated for, and this is done through energy consumption.

It is proven that the greatest heat loss - up to 70% - occurs through the exterior walls and roof. Sensitive areas include windows, doors and floors, but if you want a significant reduction in the cost of heating or cooling your home, the focus should be on the outside walls and roof.

Thermal insulation solutions are available for all types of houses: concrete, brick, timber frame, log, prefabricated walls, steel or mixed. Viable solutions have been found for old houses, even those whose exteriors are decorated with carvings or special designs. Studies in Germany on renovated old houses have shown that energy costs have been reduced by at least 65%, and in most cases by more than 90%.

The main advantages of home insulation are:

• reducing heating costs
• reducing the risk of damage to the house due to damp
• avoid mould formation
• comfort, both in winter and summer, with low fuel consumption
• environmental protection as a result of reducing fossil fuel consumption
• reducing dependence on fuel and electricity.

Properties of materials used for insulation

Good insulation saves money. The better it is, the greater the savings. But what does good insulation mean? What does the material have to be like to have effective thermal insulation and the energy savings to be obvious? Here are some characteristics:

• Have low thermal conductivity and high thermal resistance. Information about these parameters find here
• Be pressure-resistant. Material compression leads to reduced performance
• Be moisture resistant
• Have large heat storage capacity
• Be durable
• Have the highest possible fire resistance. The materials used must be of at least class B1 fire resistance
• Also a good sound insulator
• To have sustained behaviour over time, i.e. not to lose its properties over time
• Be simple and easy to work with
• Have a carbon dioxide balance as close to 0 or negative as possible.

This last criterion has led to the increasing use of natural insulation materials. During the growing season, they consume more carbon dioxide than is released during their manufacture and so the carbon dioxide balance is negative.

Interest in natural insulation materials has also led to increased efforts to improve their performance as much as possible. As a result, they have become one of the best performing insulation materials, and the use of synthetic materials, especially those with a negative impact on the human body, is gradually decreasing (in 2016, polystyrene was declared hazardous waste in Germany).

About insulation from sheep's wool, hemp, jute or wood fibres we've written over the years. Naturalpaint, the company that distributes these natural materials, has been working hard in recent years to explain and draw attention to the benefits of natural insulation. The beginning was very difficult, but thanks to the information available and the awareness of the benefits, more and more people are now choosing natural insulation materials. Among the first to use Naturalpaint's services were Romanians working abroad. They learned about the benefits of natural materials there and wanted them in their new home. The materials have also been used successfully to insulate old houses.

Most common objections

There are also people who believe that thermal insulation is not a good solution for the health of the house and its inhabitants. Those involved in insulating houses or building passive houses have made scientific arguments in favour of insulation. In Germany there are a highly argued study by professors and researchers from famous institutes, in which the benefits of isolation are presented, with arguments, and which finds solutions to each of the objections. Let's look at some of them.

Houses don't insulate because the walls have to breathe. Houses don't breathe through walls, which has been proven since 1928. There may be places where moisture can escape, i.e. through windows or doors, but that's where the heat escapes. Most moisture escapes through open windows and doors - through ventilation - or through uninhabited areas (cellars or attics) where insulation is not well done. The recommendation is that insulation should be done as well as possible, thermal bridges should be eliminated, and where insulation is perfect (passive houses) there should be ventilation solutions in place to remove moisture and noxious fumes from living in the house.

Insulated houses are mouldy.Insulating the house increases the temperature and mould does not appear at high temperatures. However, if it does occur due to very high humidity, a ventilation system should be adopted. A hygrometer in the house is also a good idea, as it can signal an increase in humidity above the limit. The human body senses small variations in temperature, but not in humidity.

Insulation materials are a health hazard. Use natural products - hemp, wood fibre and wood fibre boards, sheep's wool, jute, cellulose, basalt wool, corkstraw bales. They are health-friendly products and their insulating properties are proven to be very good.

Green facade and roof replace house insulation. Plants covering the facade or roof have a very small contribution to the insulation of the house. Moreover, this contribution is mainly made in summer, against the heat coming from outside. In winter, however, they do not help retain heat inside the home.

The thick walls of old houses are already insulating. The old buildings are made of compact bricks or stone, which are very good at storing heat and transmitting it. So heat will still be lost, the process is slightly delayed. Thick walls are effective in summer, when heat is stored during the day and released into the house at night, and the phenomenon is not prevented by external insulation.

Insulation materials are expensive. Here we have to go back to one of the principles from the beginning - no economizing on insulation materials. Insulation is done with good quality materials and of the recommended thickness for maximum results. The investment is one that pays for itself most quickly. There are cases where even in the first year, by reducing energy costs, a payback of 75-80% is achieved.

Insulation damages the facade of the house. Old houses sometimes have stuccowork, carvings and paintings, and the facade could not be rebuilt if exterior insulation was installed. In this case, specialists have found solutions to insulate the inside, leaving the facade intact. If you are in such a situation, call in the specialists because the solutions already exist.

Insulate your homes! It really pays off.

I've had the opportunity to go to friends' apartment block, built in the 1970s, before and after it was sealed off. The difference is impressive. The work was very well done and there is no problem with mold growth years after the work was done. Since this thermal insulation, there have been winters when they have not opened the radiators, the heat radiated from the pipes and the heat removed from the fixtures has been sufficient. So, follow the principle from the beginning - better sooner rather than later - and consider insulating your home as soon as possible. You may pay back the cost in the first year. Good luck!