You'll find a lot of people talking about home improvements, and which ones they'd like to make. Without a doubt, the most popular form of home improvement is renovation and extension. More often than not, people tend to focus on exterior appearance rather than improving the internal areas of their home, when realistically this is far more important.
One of the most important things to have in the home, is appropriate insulation. Insulation performs a variety of tasks, from blocking sound to keeping heat in the home, it's without a doubt one of the most important aspects of a property's make up, and yet it's so often overlooked by homeowners on their "to check" list - particularly when moving into a property.
Today, we're going to take a look at why having insulation in the home is so important, and what the different types you can get are.
The Importance of Insulation
Before looking into the likes of having work done by companies such as Cavitech UK, it's worth knowing a little more about why insulation is so important to have.
Now, a lot of the time, with newly built houses, they're properly insulated. This is because it's an environmental standard that has to be complied to before the property is sellable. However when it comes to older properties, this isn't always the case.
Very simply put, insulation helps to ensure your house is comfortably temperate all year round. It not only helps to contain heat in the Winter, but in the Summer months it can help to keep the inside of your property cool too. Because of this, it can help you to save money on your energy bills.
So many of us are desperate to use less energy, and for more reasons than one. First off, of course, the less energy we use, the cheaper our monthly utility bills are. A lot of the population are actually paying too much for their energy bills, and one of the main reasons for this is because their homes aren't properly insulated. As well as this, the less you use your heating, the more you can reduce your carbon footprint. Environmentally friendly AND cheaper to run. What's not to like?
Generally speaking, with the right insulation, your home will be a more comfortable place to live. Rather than having to fiddle with the thermostat, argue about temperature with the family, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, you'll live an easier and more sustainable life without even having to think about it!
What are the Types of Insulation?
There are mainly two different types of insulation. These are usually referred to as bulk, and reflective insulation. Let's take a look at the differences between the two:
Bulk:
Bulk insulation's main job is to trap air in the structure. This helps to keep properties as warm as possible throughout the cold Winter months. This is without doubt the most common type of insulation used, and tends to be made from materials such as wool and polystyrene.
Reflective:
Whereas bulk insulation traps air within the structure, reflective insulation offers thermal resistance. It needs to be kept clean in order to work properly, and is usually found in sheet form made of materials such as plastic or aluminium foil.
The most important thing to look out for regardless of what type of insulation suits you, is its own R-Value. The higher this value is, the more efficient the thermal performance of the overall insulation tends to be. So long as you're picking good quality insulation with a high R-Value, then your carbon footprint and bill price should decrease in no time.
Can I Install it Myself?
Yes, there are some types of insulation that are perfectly easy to install yourself. These tend to be tasks such as covering pipes with foam in the attic, and laying rolls of bulk insulation.
However, when it comes to wall insulation, you're going to want to get the professionals in. This type of insulation tends to be installed behind the wall cavity, and therefore it's a messy job that comes with risks which shouldn't be attempted by anyone who doesn't know what they're doing.
Our final piece of advice when insulating your home, would be do your research. Find out the most effective type for you, the best way of having it installed, and ensure it's done by someone who can complete the job, and do it well. It might cost a little extra, but it's actually a long term investment.
If you think reinsulating your home is too big of a job, property buying companies such as House Buy Fast buy houses in any condition, an alternative to selling an undesirable property!
