Insulation
What Is Insulation?
Insulation is any process or material that prevents
energy forms passing from the excess side to the lesser side.
In the case of heat, thermal insulation provides a barrier
between the hot side and the cooler side.
A good insulation will keep expensive heat energy within your home in the winter.
In the summer it will keep the energy consuming out side heat at bay.
There is no commercially available insulation which is 100% efficient. ~
In fact they only minimize the energy leakage.
These efficiencies vary widely for different material and so do the prices depending on several factors.
Some materials conduct heat more rapidly than others and are known as Conductors.
Those which are slow in this process are called Insulators.
Efficient home or commercial building Insulation material
There are many different insulation materials, some occurring naturally and some man made.
The man made or processed ones are superior in performance in our day to day applications.
Common Insulation Material – a typical example
| MATERIAL DENSITY(kg/m3) | CONDUCTIVITY (W/(m.K)) | THERMAL RESISTIVITY(HRU)(P) (k) (r) | |
| Polyurethane | 32 | 0.021 | 47.6 |
| (Foamed) | |||
| Polystyrene | 15 | 0.037 | 27.0 |
| (Expanded Board) | |||
| Corkboard | 160 | 0.038 | 26.3 |
| Mineral Wool | 52 | 0.0.40 | 25.0 |
| Fibreglass | 11 | 0.042 | 23.8 |
| Vermiculite: | 80 | 0.065 | 15.4 |
| Exfoliated, loose | |||
How do you gauge the efficiency of an Insulation material?
Insulation property of a material (or a built up structure) is measured by the use of following parameters:
- Thermal Conductivity (k) -
refers to heat transfer in watts per every degree of temperature difference between opposite faces of a 1m cube.
The unit of measurement is w/ (m.K). - Thermal Conductance (C) –
It is the Thermal Transmission through unit area (i.e. 1 m2) of material (or structure) for every degree of temperature difference between the hot and cold surfaces The unit of measurement is w/(m2.K) , - Thermal Resistivity (r) –
Is the reciprocal of Thermal conductivity (i.e. = 1/k).
This factor refers to 1m thickness of the material only. - Thermal Resistance (R) –
It is the reciprocal of the Thermal Conductance (i.e. =1/C).
This factor is applicable for any thickness of the material. - Coefficient of Thermal Transmittance (U) value –
The U value is similar to C value above and is measured in the same units w/ (m2.k).
It is a measure of heat transfer through a whole building component such as a wall including the insulating property of the inside (still) and outside (moving) films of Air.
It is the sum of reciprocals of all R values of a structural component. (i.e.=1/Total “R”).
Winter, summer or in between, a lesser “U” value will save money on your annual energy bills.
The subject of insulation is vast. it may also sound a bit technical.
The bottom line however is saving of your hard earned money now wasted.
SEAI , the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland has rebate systems lined up for your investment in retrofitting your home insulation.
In Ireland? So why delay?Contact right now your Greentech.ie adviser for assistance in your home insulation, BER certification and rebates on your insulation investments for friendly and prompt feed back.
Contact Us
If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, click here to fill out a form and schedule a complimentary meeting with our staff.
We can also be contacted at 1890 245 345 and would be happy to meet with you.
