Retaining Heat

Loft and attic roof insulation works by creating a barrier which heat must penetrate before leaving your property. This barrier is generally good at trapping heat and keeping it inside your home because the roofing insulation will contain many small air pockets which retain a large proportion of the heat energy. This effect will insulate roof areas well and dramatically reduce the speed with which the loft will lose heat. As heat typically rises and will travel to cooler areas from warmer areas the loft becomes a place where a lot of heat provided by your Central heating service will tend to leave your home through the roofing material if insulation is not installed.

The speed with which heat is lost from an area in your home is referred to as the U value and the lower this number is then the more effective an area is at reducing the rate of heat loss. In the UK the Energy Saving Trust estimate that effective loft insulation can reduce the U Value by up to 95%. Many insulation products will reference a number which is the inverse of the U Value, the R value. This number is measured in Km2/W and values between 6.1 and 7 are recommended by the UK’s National Insulation Association. These values can be used to work out which insulation is most appropriate for your home and in what quantities. Insulation suppliers will be able to help you with this.

Insulation Options

Roof insulation installed in a loft is a sensible option for the vast majority of homes. It is however important to inspect the current state of your loft before beginning installation or even making any purchases. There are some properties which will require more specialised insulation which is tailored to them. These are generally homes which experience problems with condensation or damp conditions in their lofts. Additionally a lack of accessibility to the loft area can affect the type of insulation which would best suit your property as can a flat roof. In any of these situations it is best to contact a local contractor who will inspect the loft for you. In many cases they will recommend the installation of blown insulation which will need to be carried out by a professional. Foam roof insulation will also be another alternative.

Roof insulation materials can often be installed in a loft by the average homeowner who has some DIY experience. Unlike in other areas of your home spray foam insulation is not used that often to insulate the loft areas of average residential properties and insulation blankets are much more common. The work will need to be completed to a high standard but this is not too difficult as generally the floor space of the loft will just need to be covered with the blankets. As long as care is taken to make sure that the blankets are a snug fit and that no obvious gaps are left then DIY roof insulation should prove to be effective at preventing heat from leaving your home. If you would like to use your loft as a living area then the roof of the loft rather than the floor will need to be insulated. Roof insulation board or semi rigid roof insulation sheets are installed to achieve this.

Saving Energy

Many people would like to know how much they will be able to save in monetary terms by installing roof insulation products in their home. It is difficult to give a figure that will be anywhere near accurate for everyone. In general you can expect your loft insulation to pay for itself by way of energy savings in around 5 years and sometimes considerably less. Of course for some homes it may take a little longer. Most good quality loft insulation will remain effective for in excess of 40 years and sometimes a lot longer. During this period it will pay for itself many times over. You should remember that you are also helping to save the environment and not just your money by reducing your energy consumption with the installation of effective roof insulation.

Benefits

One of the main advantages of using spray foam insulation is its ability to seal small cracks and gaps that traditional insulation materials such as fibreglass are not versatile enough to deal with. Because the insulation spray is delivered in liquid polyurethane form it is capable of filling small and hard to reach areas of any size before expanding and drying out to form a solid and durable product. Once you have sprayed foam insulation on an area you can be confident that it will be fully insulated against the elements. This includes preventing heat loss, helping to soundproof your walls and also eliminating unwanted substances such as water entering your home from the outside. This will greatly reduce the risk of any damage to your property which may be caused by mould or damp conditions. This could help you spare the costs of any mould or mildew removal or cleaning water damage in the future. As the foam is capable of keeping out water then it is of course extremely effective for preventing any insects from entering your property which can be a common problem with the many small gaps left uncovered by fibreglass insulation. Many of these smaller jobs can be completed by the homeowner using a DIY spray foam insulation kit.

Open and Closed Cell

You will need to think about the benefits of closed vs open cell spray foam insulation. The closed cell structure is considered to be highly superior for many reasons. It will create an effective vapour barrier as it is not penetrable by moisture. The structure is much stronger and will reinforce the surface which it insulates. One of the main advantages is that it has a higher R-value than the open cell spray foam insulation. The R-value is a measure used in construction to show the thermal resistance of a material. Higher values provide greater insulation and will keep heat inside an area for longer. Over time the higher R-value can substantially reduce the cost of heating a building.

DIY

If you are thinking of upgrading the insulation in your property yourself then there are many DIY spray foam insulation kits currently available. This could be a difficult task for someone who is not a professional contractor but smaller jobs can be performed by the average homeowner who has some experience in building or property maintenance. DIY spray foam insulation for homes is becoming more popular because of the initial cost of hiring professionals to carry out the work. You will however need to be certain that you have the necessary skills to complete the work first. Large insulation projects should not be carried out by persons without the correct training. If you do have some experience then you can consider completing minor insulation work in your own home. Do it yourself spray on foam insulation for metal buildings and other small structures can also be carried out by a property owner who is confident in his ability to complete the work.

You may be thinking about do it yourself sprayfoam insulation costs if you are not going to hire professionals to do the work. The necessary equipment can be expensive but DIY kits for the smallest jobs can be purchased at reasonable prices and will contain all of the necessary spray foam insulation equipment for homeowners to undertake the work themselves. It will still be a sensible idea to consult a professional before taking on any project yourself in order to gain an idea of what they will charge. It will often make more sense to use one of a number of spray foam insulation contractors even where you could save a small amount buy carrying out work yourself. Professional spray foam insulation equipment, experience and practices will often be worth the extra financial investment and will often be recommended for any work you may be thinking about which is non-standard such as DIY flat roof foam insulation or any large projects of any kind.

Benefits

The insulation is purchased in liquid polyurethane form and is stored in bottles. It is sprayed onto any area as needed and will set within a few minutes. The product is extremely durable and flexible when compared to other types of insulation such as fibreglass or foam insulation board. As the spray is delivered in liquid form it can easily fill any gaps which may occur and is also very useful for insulating tight or difficultly shaped areas. This is much easier than trying to cover up small gaps or cracks with fibreglass or foam board insulation. The foam dries and turns into a hardwearing and long lasting solid shortly after hitting a surface, it then requires no further care or attention.

Polyurethane foam insulation also has health and environmental benefits over more hazardous varieties of insulation. Most insulating foam does not release any harmful gases into the atmosphere as CFCs are no longer used, HFCs may however be present. These are green house gases with possible negative effects on the ozone layer. Expanding foam insulation will not crumble like fibreglass insulation and leaves no floating particles to inhale and therefore no health risks usually associated with insulation materials. The main health hazard when using DIY foam insulation kits will be temporary vision impairment as a result of not wearing protective eye wear. If the manufacturers safety instructions are followed then this will result in minimal risk of injury and a layer of rigid foam insulation with an extremely long lifetime.

Because of its liquid form Spray foam insulation eliminates heat loss and drafts very effectively but also has other benefits. Once dry it will also form an efficient vapour barrier and so prevent water entering a house through any gaps. This is useful in helping to reduce the build up of mould inside a property. The insulation will also fill any small areas which could have previously been used by insects and other pests to gain access to a home. This can eliminate further pest control costs in the future.

DIY

Polyurethane foam insulation can be installed by a non-professional home owner with the use of one of the many kinds of DIY spray foam insulation kits available but will often require professional installation. Spray foam insulation equipment can be costly especially if it will only be used on one or two occasions. It may be more cost effective to hire contractors to complete the work with the added assurance of higher quality workmanship. If attempting to complete the job yourself then adequate planning will be necessary. It is important to identify all areas which need to be sprayed and those which do not in order to minimize spray foam insulation cost as this highly durable substance is extremely difficult to remove one it has turned solid.

If you are looking for information more specific to Attic Insulation it can be found here.