Thermal insulation what is it ?

Thermal insulation is still the most important and the most cost effective way of saving energy and for virtually all homes will have the single largest impact on reducing fuel costs year after year. Improving the thermal insulation standards of the home should therefore be everyone’s No.1 priority.

If you are planning to improve your home, to install central heating for the first time, or to replace an old boiler, our advice to you is to make thermal insulation your first priority. Not only will this reduce your fuel consumption and bills year after year, but your home will become more comfortable to live in, and you will be able to save money on the cost of installing your new central heating system or replacement boiler because the higher standard of thermal insulation means they don’t need to be as big and expensive as before. Thermal insulation will keep your house warm in winter. In summer when temperatures outside are much higher than inside, good thermal insulation keeps the air cool inside the house

The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer. Heat energy can be transferred by conduction, convection, radiation or by actual movement of material from one location to another. For the purposes of this discussion only the first three mechanisms need to be considered. Thermal insulation is the method of preventing heat from escaping a container or from entering the container. In other words, thermal insulation can keep an enclosed area such as a building warm, or it can keep the inside of a container cold. Heat is transferred from one material to another by conduction, convection and/or radiation. Insulators are used to minimize that transfer of heat energy. In home insulation, the R-value is an indication of how well a material insulates. The flow of heat can be reduced by addressing one or more of these mechanisms and is dependent on the physical properties of the material employed to do this.

Side effects of thermal bridging and air leakage include:-

– Surface condensation, damaging decorations and enabling mould growth

– Deterioration of the building fabric caused by interstitial condensation

– Occupant discomfort caused by draughts and cold rooms

To reduce the impact of these and to address these problems .Insulation

Continuity and Airtightness need to be thoroughly considered at all stages of design and construction.

That is why you need to carefully consider what you are investing your money in. Building your home with our Insulated Concrete Panel is the best system if you want to achieve optimum air tightness and eliminate cold bridging.

www.campionhomes.ie

Advertisement

Airtightness how important is it?

Airtightness is essential to prevent heat loss via the fabric of the building and maximise the effectiveness of thermal insulation thus reducing energy consumption. For example, an 80m² house with poor airtightness requires the same energy to heat as a 400m² house with the same thickness of thermal insulation, but which has a very high standard of airtightness.

Air tightness must be incorporated into the building at design stage. Trades such as plasters, electricians and plumbers need training as the concept of airtightness is new to most sites. Block and mortar are not airtight, neither is plasterboard and skim. Sand cement plaster is airtight. Around the ends of first floor joists air tightness is difficult. The best method of addressing this is ensuring you build your home with Campion Insulated Concrete Panels.

.

Many people are aware of draughts coming from recessed lights. Normally this cold air is coming from the cavity – and it is costing you money and comfort.

When we talk of air tightness, what we’re essentially speaking about is the elimination of draughts. In other words when we want fresh air, we open a window or slide the cover of a vent across, and we have the fresh air that we want. Draughty buildings provide fresh air whether we want it or not. In winter when ambient external temperatures may be only three or four degrees and we like to relax indoors in temperatures around twenty degrees, we end up footing the bill for warming-up any incoming air. The less cold air that we have to heat the better – so air tightness or air control saves money. Airtight buildings offer another economic benefit – they don’t let much warm air escape either

When we blow up a balloon we create what we call a static pressure inside it. If we then form an opening at the valve which is tiny compared to the surface area of the balloon then all the air will escape very quickly at high velocity,” explains McHugh. “Now if the wind blows against the side of our house, a similar kind of static pressure builds up. Any small openings which exist in the building, such as around window frames, pipes, and so on, will allow air through, in the form of draughts

Air Leakage (or infiltration) is the flow of outside air into and out of a building. It is not planned by the designers and is due to imperfections in the building ‘envelope’ (or outer skin).

It will typically take place through:

• joints, gaps and cracks in the construction
• gaps created where the structure penetrates the outer skin of the building
• cracks around door and window openings
• gaps where services enter the building

Air leakage will have detrimental effects on the buildings thermal performance, comfort levels and energy efficiency.

Reduce your annual energy costs

REDUCE YOUR ANNUAL ENERGY COSTS

 

 

The Carbon Economy of the 21st Century places new demands on us all as consumers, to reduce our carbon footprint by consuming less energy. We need to alter our lifestyles so that we demand less from finite energy resources that will continue to become more and more expensive.

 Many Governments are introducing financial penalties or carbon taxes, as they struggle to meet the annual carbon budgets (limits) set by global climate change treaties. This means that taxes will be levied on those homes that waste energy unnecessarily. The introduction of Energy Rating Certificates on homes in Ireland is now a factor in the valuation of a property and likely to become a more dominant factor.

Regardless of how cheap or expensive it is to purchase or build a new home, the larger expense will be the annual energy costs over the lifetime of the home – an ongoing cost that we have little or no control of. 

 Have CAMPION HOMES erect your home and see the dramatic reduction in your energy costs. With our system you are ensuring there is no space between the insulation and the inner and outer leaf, which means your keeping the heat inside rather that escaping through the wall and this is what is happening with traditional block building……

Campion Homes Insulated Concrete Panel is an innovative, environmentally friendly, energy efficient and fast way to build your home or office. Increased U-Value increases the energy performance of a building so that operational energy costs are minimised. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over the life of the building asset is minimised. This has become an important factor to future valuations of homes, workplaces and building assets in general.

There are many advantages:

Safe, solid, quiet & secure

Unparalleled acoustic insulation

Superior thermal insulation

Significantly reduced operating & maintenance costs

Durable, reinforced concrete construction

Speed & ease of construction

And many more go to our website WWW.CAMPIONHOMES.IE

Or send your plans in remember your new home is probably your largest single financial commitment let us help you save money!!!!

Why properly insulate your cavity walls?

Did you know that around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is through the walls? Cavity wall insulation is an effective way to save energy and money at home. A well insulated house keeps warmth exactly where you need it – indoors.
So, insulating your cavity walls will help you to heat your home more efficiently. Using less energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions (CO2): one of the biggest causes of climate change. You will also save money on your bills too.
Cavity wall insulation can also help to reduce
Cavity wall properly insulated are so cost effective that it will pay for itself over and over again. The better insulated your home, the less energy you need to keep it warm – and the more money you’ll save.
By insulating your cavity walls you could cut your heating costs and, by saving energy, your household will produce less CO2. So, insulating your cavity walls is a great way to help fight climate change.
How does cavity wall insulation work?

Heat will always flow from a warm area to a cold one. In winter, the colder it is outside, the faster heat from your home will escape into the surrounding air.
Cavity wall insulation slows down the rate at which it escapes, keeping as much of it as possible inside your home for as long as possible. How? Insulation makes it much more difficult for heat to pass through your walls by filling up the cavity with a material with lots of air pockets in it. These pockets greatly reduce what is known as your walls’ U value – which is a measure of how quickly they lose heat – from around 1.5 to 0.5 W/m2K . The lower the U value, the slower heat is lost – and the less energy you need to keep your home warm.
You may on occasions also see references to an R-value. This is a measure of thermal resistance and is the inverse of a U-value – the higher a U-value is the lower the R-value is