An uninsulated attic allows a large amount of heat from your home to be lost, unnecessarily increasing your annual fuel bills. To insulate the area is a relatively cheap and easy job to do.
Why should you consider retrofitting with attic insulation?
In new buildings attic insulation is given special consideration these days while retrofitting totally or addition of extra thickness in old buildings is encouraged by the government by way of grants and financial aid. Management of these schemes and the grants is done through the Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).
Typical insulations in Attics
Generally the following are the preferred insulations;
- Loose Fill
- Batt Insulation
- Foam Spray
In pitched roof assemblies, attic space is typically insulated with mineral fiber batts or blankets and/ or mineral fiber or cellulose loose fill insulation.
Each of these types of material has its distinct advantageous and disadvantageous characteristics which others may not posses.
Attic Thermal Resistance
In effect the total thermal resistance of the ceiling plus insulation, attic space, and roof is the sum of the conduction resistance of the ceiling plus insulation and the effective attic resistance. The roof resistance is generally considered negligible and not taken into the calculations. As you note the most critical component therefore happens to be the insulation.
Thermal Performance of Insulations
Thermal performance of the insulation varies with the mean temperature. In winter conditions, thermal resistance of the insulation increases while in summer conditions, it decreases. Some loose fill material settles after some time.
Some other spray type insulation may exhibit differences in the density in different locations. Some low-density loose fill materials may be porous and present adequate interstitial spaces that very low temperatures at the top of the insulation may lead to free convection in the insulation which is detrimental to the intended purpose.(Under certain conditions the effective thermal resistance may be decreased by as much as 50% due to this)Is your existing attic insulation adequate?As the recently constructed buildings are designed with correct material,
thickness of insulation and fixing techniques the problems are mostly confined to older buildings.
Things to find out when thinking of retrofitting attic insulation Find out how much insulation has to be added to your attic. For this you have to check;
How much insulation thickness is currently available Type of insulation material and the ‘R’ value of it Locations (patches) having inadequate insulation Whether existing air sealing is adequate.
You do not need special equipment or techniques to carry out the above check ups.
Good visual inspection along with simple thickness determination is all that will be necessary initially.
On the other hand one can also make use of a BER Advisory Report for this assessment should he wishes so.ENTECH can provide the following services with regard to your requirementsWe will provide:
Free information on HES and HES grants, BER certification and assessments, application for concessions etc
Design Supply and installation of attic insulation, high efficiency HVAC equipment and controls
All other related services
Contacting us
For information on Attic insulation call us on 1890 245 345