IF YOU ARE LIKE MOST PEOPLE, YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON HOUSE COSTS. Did you know that insulation can help you lower your household bills? Even if you live in a warm climate, insulation helps keep costs down, as cooling a house is believed to consume more energy in the summer than heating in the winter.
But how can insulation save money? Inflation, record breaking temperatures and fuel shortages have increased the price to maintain your home comfort level. Insulation helps maintain that level of comfort at a lower cost.
What does insulation do?
But what does insulation really do? How does it work, since the insulation itself does not generate heat? Simply put, it slows down the movement of heat. Heat is like a river in that it always flows in one direction: from hot surfaces to colder surfaces. As a result, heat is removed from a home when it is cold and enters the home when the temperature rises. This flow takes place in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation. Conductive heat passes through solids such as bricks and concrete, while convective heat passes through liquids. A wooden frame house with an air gap in the walls or no insulation therefore loses heat through convection, because the air acts as a liquid. Radiant heat travels through space (as in the case of the sun) and heats the object it encounters (as in the case of the earth).
Experiments show that air is a bad heat conductor. Therefore, insulation does this: it creates small traps or pockets of stagnant air that delays heat transfer. The insulating material is also a bad conductor.
Insulation materials come in different forms. It can be granular material or loose pieces of mineral wool the size of small chicken eggs. When packaged in bags, it is usually placed in flat places, such as attics or floors, where it is not disturbed. The soft quality created by the overlapping parts creates dead or non-circulating air spaces. Fiberglass is often used on the side walls and is usually glued to a paper or aluminum base that is attached to the walls to hold it in place. They are known as roofs or slats and are available in different widths and thicknesses. Stiffer pieces of foam plastic can also be used, but enclosed air pockets in any case provide insulating properties. The notable exception is the use of sheet metal to reflect radiant heat.
On the other hand, sustainable building materials have poor insulation, which transfers heat faster. Reinforced concrete, steel, concrete blocks, bricks, plaster and even wood, although necessary for the structural support of a building due to their resilience, must always be used with sufficient insulation for maximum heat resistance. Some authorities illustrate this need by saying that a wall of 251 cm would be necessary to achieve the insulation capacity of only 7 cm of polyurethane.
Let the insulation work for you
The need for insulation is practically indisputable and therefore modern material in modern construction is always part of a new construction. However, the amount and type of use varies from region to region and can also vary between contractors and insulation technicians. A generally accepted quantity is six inches of fiberglass on roofs and attics and nine inches on side walls. However, due to cost and fuel shortages, some experts now recommend almost twice as much. In addition, previously uninsulated areas such as basement walls and floors over unheated parts of the house are now receiving attention. It should also be noted that some insulation materials are more effective than others. For example, the same insulation is obtained from 9 cm extruded polystyrene with 15 cm fiberglass.
While cost is a big factor in new construction, eliminating or drastically reducing the insulation budget is not recommended. Most of the cost of insulation falls on the product itself, not the installation work. Plus, it pays for itself in terms of fuel economy in just a few years. In the United States, some lenders are considering cheap loans for building "super insulated" houses. The theory behind the loan is that it will reduce operating costs and that the savings on unused fuel can be used to pay off the loan.
Bigger savings can result in heating and cooling a new home if it is built with insulated windows. This means that its size and number is minimized in the shaded parts of the house, and increased more and more in the sunny parts of the building. In warmer climates, shade trees or other equipment may be needed to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the building, as this will reduce the warming of the house due to sun exposure during the cold months. 'summer.
Even in older homes, insulation can affect heating and cooling costs. Can the attic or the access rooms be insulated? Insulation companies can foam liquid plastic in wall cavities, where it solidifies and forms a barrier against heat loss. Well-fitting storm windows and doors also help. Removing time also helps. According to a publication from the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, “Under normal conditions, removing all climate will reduce the amount of fuel needed for a home that doesn't have 15-20%. is not very isolated ”. . Don't forget the space behind the door. Shutters keep doors closed and reduce drafts.
If the heat-conducting channels and pipes are filled with a suitable insulating material, heat loss is reduced. To save heat, stoves, boilers, fireplaces, air and fuel filters should be kept clean. In older homes, all of these improvements increase the resale value of the home to some extent. Of course, you can also increase the appraisal value and therefore the property tax.
If you own a home and can only afford a small amount, have you thought about lowering the high ceilings? It requires less heat to heat the room as its volume decreases. However, in homes with only one thermostat, you need to pay attention to the environment in which it is located. If only that room has the roof down, it will heat up faster than the others and cause the stove to shut down before the rest of the house heats up. If you don't own your home and can't lower the ceiling, you will find that rugs not only beautify, but also add insulation to a room.
During the winter, tenants who pay their own heating bills will find that curtains and blinds can be opened to allow sunlight to enter a room and then heat it with radiant energy. When the sun can no longer penetrate the window, the shutters can be closed and the curtains closed to prevent heat loss through the glass. In hot climates, this shutter is closed to reduce the cost of cooling the house in the summer.
Another method used in winter is to turn off the thermostat at night and wear extra blankets while you sleep. Some use electric blankets. Either way, you might need an old-fashioned sweater to keep your head warm. Of course, you can also deactivate additional or unused rooms.
Disadvantages
There are drawbacks that should be taken into account in well-insulated houses, especially in winter. If the doors are not opened regularly, as in normal use, the amount of usable oxygen can be greatly reduced. This lack of adequate oxygen is a clear risk to the health of everyone, but especially the very young and people who may be sick or old, as not everyone can easily identify this lack of oxygen.
Another downside is the temptation to turn up the thermostat and feel that the insulation is heat resistant. It should be noted that no insulation is 100% effective. Insulation does not stop heat loss. it just slows down. In addition, such an attitude is unnecessary and does not help reduce internal costs.
Rigid foam, for example, is suitable for insulating existing houses. B. If it is glued to inner stone or masonry. However, it has a major disadvantage regarding styrene and urethane foam. It is flammable and must be covered with at least 1.3 cm of plaster. The same goes for cellulose insulation in large quantities, as it is ground newsprint. If it is not treated properly with flame retardants such as formaldehyde, there is a risk of fire. Still, these delays can wear out over time. Therefore, extreme caution is needed.