A guide to home insulation: How it can benefit your pocket and the environment

Home Building & Renovating Show

National Insulation Association (NIA)

The NIA are a trade association who represent the manufacturers and installers of home insulation solutions in the UK, we represent over 90% of UK capacity.

The team consists of 5 full time staffNeil Marshall

(Chief Executive)  

John Mason(Head of Policy & Communication)

  

Wendy Taylor Bev Coombe Suzanne Clarke(Admin Assistant) (Membership Services Manager) (Office Manager)

Where does the heat go?

According to the Energy Saving Trust in an uninsulated home:

• Up to 20% heat loss through windows & doors

• Up to 25% heat loss through the loft/roof space

• Up to 33% heat loss through cavity walls

• Up to 45% heat loss through solid walls

How much does this wasted heat cost?

• Cavity wall insulation - £120 p.a. – payback around 4 years and less with subsidies

• Loft insulation - £155 p.a. – payback around 3 years and less with subsidies

• Solid wall insulation - £360 -£380 p.a.

• Draught proofing - £25 p.a.

• Tank jacket - £30 p.a.

The National Perspective

Over half the existing housing stock in the UK has inadequate levels of insulation!

• Around 9m cavity walls

• Around 15m lofts with inadequate insulation

Most people have some loft insulation but it is not sufficient – to comply with modern standards it should be around 270mm deep

• Around 7m properties have solid walls that need insulating

Eco – Friendly Products

CWI

• Certain Glass Mineral Wool has approximately 55% recycled content

• Certain Rock Wool contains approximately 20% recovered waste material

• EPS Bead is CFC, HFC, HCFC free

LOFT

• Blown Cellulose is manufactured from recycled newsprint.

Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI)

• CWI is a permanent, maintenance free home improvement, lasting the life of the building, according to the Building Research Establishment.

• CWI is one of the most cost effective energy efficiency measures for the home. It can save around £120 each year on a typical home fuel bill.

• CWI is a hassle and mess free measure that takes only a few hours to install, but the time does depend on the size of the house and other factors, such as access.

Cavity Wall Insulation

• Three main types of insulation:

• Mineral Wool (Glass & Rock)

• EPS Bead (Expanded Polystyrene Bead)

• U F Foam (Urea Formaldehyde Foam)

• All three materials have roughly equivalent thermal insulation properties, are resistant to water penetration and will not transmit water across the cavity or from below the damp proof course level by capillary action.

Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency

• CIGA (Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) issue an independent and trusted 25 year guarantee,

• The guarantee covers defects in materials and workmanship.

• All NIA member installers are CIGA registered and as long as the property meets the recommended requirements will be able to apply for the guarantee on the households behalf.

Solid Wall Insulation

• 30 - 36% of the UK’s housing stock is estimated to consist of non-cavity wall construction (solid brick, solid stone, pre 1944 timber frame and non-traditional concrete construction).

• 45% of a homes heat escapes through the walls of a solid wall property.

• Well over 50% of fuel poor households are in the hard to treat homes sector.

• Solid wall properties can be insulated either internally or externally.

Solid Wall Insulation

• Internal Solutions:

Flexible Thermal LiningsRigid Thermal Board

Typically consists of either dry lining in the form of flexible thermal linings available in 1 metre by 12.5 metre rolls, laminated insulating plasterboard (known as thermal board), or built-up systems using fibrous insulation such as mineral wool held in place using a studwork frame.

• External Solutions:

Rendering Cladding

Comprise of an insulation layer fixed to the existing wall, such as a protective render or decorative cladding. Dry cladding offers a wide range of finish materials that can be used – timber panels, stone or clay tiles, brick slips or aluminium panels.

Loft Insulation

• Up to 15% of a homes heating costs escape through the roof.

• Most loft insulation materials work by preventing the movement of heated air through the material – in order to work effectively the material should not be over stretched or compressed.

• Today's thermal insulation depth requirements for loft insulation are 270mm.

Loft Insulation

• Most UK houses will have some loft insulation already installed, however the majority have150mm or less and should be topped up.

• The three main types of British Standard Loft Insulation are:

• Mineral Wool (Glass or Rock)

• Blown Mineral Wool (Glass or Rock)

• Blown Cellulose

Draught Proofing

• Many homes leak heat through gaps in the joins of their windows and doors. A typical home can suffer 20% of all heat loss through ventilation and draughts.

• Draught proofing is one of the most inexpensive and effective energy efficiency measures for the home.

• The different types of materials available are:

Brushes

Foams

Sealants

Shaped rubber or plastic draught excluders

For Landlords………

• From the 1st October all landlords will have to provide an Energy Performance Certificate when renting a property.

• The Landlords Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) - allows private landlords who pay income tax to offset up to £1,500 spending per dwelling (not per building) per year.

• If do not there is the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System…

The Sign of Professionalism

• All NIA installers are approved, reliable installers and the products used are tested and

accredited to standard.

• The signs to look out for when getting insulation are:

Code of Professional Practice

• All NIA Members agree to adhere to the code

• Promoting high standards to maintain and provide Customer Satisfaction

Locating an NIA approved installer

www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk

• Postcode locator

• Factual Information

• FAQ’s

• Lists of reputable regional installers

How to get advice & contact us

• Telephone : 0845 163 63 63

• Email : info@nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk

• Fax: 01525 854918

• Written Correspondence: 2 Vimy Court, Vimy Road, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 1FG

Questions Please?