Perth Insulation is a material that slows the transfer of heat, making a home or building warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It reduces energy costs, which also cuts demand on power plants and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.
It also prevents condensation and stifles noise. It’s a great choice for any home or office.
Insulation reduces your home’s energy bills by preventing unwanted heat loss and gain. It works to minimize the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling, which enables you to save money throughout the year. The average homeowner spends 15% more than they should on heating and cooling, and this is largely due to poor insulation and air leakage. Insulation significantly cuts these costs and makes your home more comfortable.
When a building is uninsulated, heat seeps in during the summer and out during the winter, forcing your HVAC equipment to work overtime to regulate temperatures. This excessive strain leads to a higher energy bill than necessary, which can be incredibly costly for homeowners.
Properly insulated homes don’t just slow the transfer of thermal energy, they also reduce the demand on your air conditioning system in the summer. This means you can turn the thermostat up a little bit without noticing an increase in your electric or gas bill, which is a relief for many homeowners.
The type of insulation you choose will determine how well it performs, and it is important to know what the R-value is for your area. The R-value is an indication of the thickness and density of the insulation, which will influence how much heat it can resist. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation will be.
You can test your home’s existing insulation by removing the cover plate of an electrical outlet, which will reveal the R-value. You can also use an infrared camera to scan the walls for any temperature differences, which may indicate that your home needs more or less insulation. The good news is that installing home insulation can be a relatively inexpensive and easy home improvement project.
Prevents Condensation
Condensation can be a serious problem for buildings. It can result in mould and rot, structural damage and even lead to health issues for building occupants. However, it can be prevented.
Insulation is designed to prevent condensation by trapping air and preventing temperature differences between warm and cold surfaces. There are many types of insulation available, including traditional fiberglass batts, rockwool and glass wool, blow-in cellulose, polyester matting and polyurethane foam. They all work differently, but the aim is to prevent condensation by reducing temperature differences between the outside and inside of the building.
Whenever water vapour is released by people, cooking or using heating appliances it will condense on cold surfaces like walls, ceilings and floors (this is called interstitial condensation). This is a normal process and can be minimised by adding insulation to the outside of the wall cavity, which reduces air flow, and also by keeping humidity levels low.
The best type of insulation to prevent condensation is to use a continuous exterior insulation system. This provides a solid barrier against heat and moisture transfer, and it is the easiest way to prevent condensation in new buildings or when re-insulating existing homes.
Another good solution is to insulate your attic or loft, which can be done very easily and cost-effectively by using a thermal blanket, blown in cellulose or polyester matting. In most cases, this will significantly reduce your energy costs and improve the comfort of your home, especially in winter. Lastly, when insulating external walls, it is important to insulate to the appropriate thickness for your climate. This will avoid problems with condensation and also help to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the home.
Reduces Moisture Damage
Insulation prevents air and moisture transfer between building components to keep the interior of a home or commercial structure safe, comfortable and healthy. While many people associate insulation with heat control, it also plays an important role in moisture control by preventing water vapor and condensation from entering the structure. Excess moisture can lead to mold growth, wood rot and other structural damage in buildings.
In order to keep humidity levels in your home at a healthy level, you should install insulation that is resistant to moisture and mold. The experts at Island Comfort are committed to extending our insulation services, which include moisture and mold prevention, throughout the islands of Oahu and Kauai.
The most common source of excess moisture in homes and businesses is condensation, which occurs when cold air contacts surfaces that are cooled by warmer temperatures. Condensation can also occur from boiling liquids, drying clothes indoors, and showering. Wet insulation absorbs and holds moisture, which can deteriorate the integrity of the insulation, leading to a loss of energy efficiency and increased heating and cooling costs.
Moisture and mould damage not only cause health issues, but they can aggravate respiratory problems and other allergies. It’s best to avoid these issues by incorporating insulation and moisture control into your building design, maintaining proper ventilation and using dehumidifiers.
Different types of insulation have varying performance in terms of moisture resistance. EPS and XPS are two popular insulation options, but they have very different moisture absorption characteristics. EPS typically absorbs and releases moisture much quicker than XPS. However, the method used to evaluate moisture absorption in laboratories does not adequately reflect real-world building conditions and may result in incorrect comparisons between the two types of insulation.
Prevents Fires
Insulation helps keep buildings safe by limiting the passage of flames and hot gases. It also delays the rise of temperature in unexposed areas and stops fires from spreading across walls. It’s important to select an insulation type that resists fire and to use proper installation techniques and routine inspections to prevent problems over time.
Fiberglass is typically non-flammable, and it’s treated with fire retardants during manufacturing to enhance its safety. Cellulose and foam insulation can vary in flammability, but most are treated with fire retardants to ensure they don’t catch on fire.
Although the primary function of insulation is to reduce heat transfer, it can also help protect against electrical fires by preventing short circuits. However, not all insulation is fire-rated and it’s vital to select a product with a high rating, especially for locations where there is a risk of contact with electrical wires and appliances.
During the construction process, combustible insulation can become a fire hazard in structures with high fire risks. This is because combustible materials are typically exposed to the elements during construction and may remain so for several weeks or longer, depending on the building’s location.
To minimize this problem, builders can opt for a structural insulated panel (SIP), which is an efficient, high-performing wall system that includes both sheathing and insulation in one piece. It’s available from manufacturers and comes in a variety of sizes and R-values. It’s made from a core of foam board insulation sandwiched between sheets of oriented strand board or other sheathing material. The sheathing is glued to the foam, and the whole assembly is either pressed or placed in a vacuum to bond it together.
Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are top of mind for many of us, and people are often looking for ways to help. They may focus on alternative transportation methods, green energy sources or lowering their energy consumption. However, many don’t realize that insulation can be a very effective method for reducing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions.
The reason is simple: insulation slows heat loss from a building, which reduces the demand for heating energy. This is especially important in colder climates, where energy costs are higher and a greater percentage of energy use is for heating homes. In addition, the embodied carbon in certain insulation materials can also be reduced. Many current insulating products are based on recycled content, and even those made with virgin materials are much less impactful than older insulation that was manufactured using CFCs or other non-sustainable practices.
Depending on the type of insulation, different materials have different embodied carbon values. Typically, recycled cellulose and sheep’s wool products have lower embodied carbon than fiberglass batt or closed-cell spray foam.
Cellulose is created from recycled paper, cardboard and denim that has been finely shredded and treated with several chemicals to make it fire-resistant. It is available as loose-fill blown-in insulation, densely packed into walls and floors or wet sprayed into new constructions. It is the gold standard in eco-friendly insulation and is made from materials that are non-hazardous to humans and animals.
Other insulating products have a much larger environmental footprint, with extruded polystyrene (EPS) and Polyisocyanurate foam having particularly high embodied carbons. Similarly, many older insulations made with chlorofluorocarbons are among the highest emitters of greenhouse gases. However, the overall savings to emissions ratio for these materials is very low.
