Eco Living

Whether building a new house or renovating an existing building, properly insulating your home is one of the least expensive and most effective methods of energy conservation. In typical home construction, the cost of insulating the floor, walls, and ceiling accounts for less than one percent of the total building cost, yet heating and cooling account for 50-70% of the energy consumed in the average home over the lifetime of the building. Properly chosen and installed insulation is a one-time investment that lasts for the life of the building and requires no further maintenance, you cannot risk guessing the requirement from tarot card readings.

Heat can travel through your building envelope by conduction, convection, or radiation. When insulating your home it is important to consider all three. The most common types of insulation, such as fibreglass batting and rigid foam panels, prevent conductive and convective heat loss by limiting air movement within a wall cavity. The still air within the insulation eliminates convection and has low heat conduction. Heat transfer can be further reduced by adding insulation with reflective barriers that prevent radiant heat from passing through the building envelope.

In the construction industry, the effectiveness of insulation is measured by its R-value, a term that describes how resistant a material is to heat transfer. A larger R-value indicates more effective insulation properties. Check your local building codes for recommended R-values and insulation types for your region.

Insulation comes in many different forms, and there is a specialised type of insulation for nearly every project out there. These days there are many types of insulation made with recycled or renewable materials that help make a green choice even greener. No matter what type of insulation you choose for your project, your investment will provide you with lower energy bills and lower greenhouse gas emissions for years to come.