Why are our homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter? Many would argue that it's the heaters and the air conditioners but the knowledgeable amongst us know that insulation is a big factor. Temperature is controlled by where the heat goes to, out of the house in the winter and into the house in the summer. Insulation provides a barrier to this flow of heat. The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its R rating. The higher the R value the greater the resistance to the flow of energy.
There are a vast range of home insulation materials on the market today. They include foam insulation, rolls of mineral wool, fiber glass batts, cotton and cellulose. Fiber glass and cellulose are the two most common forms of home insulation in use today. Fiber glass is generally used in the form of rolls or batts and is usually laid in the loft of your house. Rolls of fiber glass are laid out along the rafter lines and provide a barrier to the heat rising through the ceiling from the rooms below. Fiber glass batts are made from the same material but come pre-cut in the form of square sections of fiber glass. These are laid patchwork style along the roof joists and the main advantage over rolls of fiber glass is that they can be slid into tight spaces from one end, removing the need to access the area with a roll of fiber glass.
Cellulose or spray foam insulation is the second most common form of home insulation. This is basically a chemical that is sprayed or injected into the area that needs to be insulated. A chemical reaction then takes place that causes the cellulose to expand to fill all of the air gaps in the area that it is sprayed into. This is especially effective in cavity wall insulation ad the gaps that need to be filled would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fill with fibreglass after they had been constructed.
Ductwork is another area of the home where insulation needs to be considered. It is all very well having an air conditioning system that can keep the temperature in your home at a comfortable level during the summer but the efficiency of the system can cause you to get hot under the collar when you receive the fuel bill. Ductwork insulation can help prevent this from happening. It is applied to the ductwork and prevents the heat from outside raising the temperature of the cooled air inside the duct, thus reducing the fuel used to keep your home cool and stopping you from getting hot and bothered when you get the bill. Ductwork insulation comes in two main forms, it can be duct blanket wrap or flexible insulated. As the name suggests the duct blanket wrap is supplied on a roll and is simply wrapped around the ducts that you want to insulate. It can be held in place by tape or ties and it's efficiency depends on how well it is installed. Flexible duct insulation comes in pre-determined lengths and is generally slipped around the duct via a pre-cut split along it's length. The installation of this is generally less critical for efficiency purposes but it comes at a cost increase.
It can be determined from this overview that installation and type of your insulation can have a great influence over the efficiency and thus energy conservation in your home
Selecting the right kind of insulation decides the performance of the insulating system