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.

There are many choices of roofing materials currently on the market to suit a whole range of properties and budgets. Tiles are a traditional option and have been around in many forms for thousands of years. They have distinct advantages over some of the more modern products such as roofing shingles and even metal roofing materials.

Types and Benefits

Roofing tiles can be produced from various materials such as clay, concrete, ceramics, plastic and slate. All of these are highly durable giving them impressive life expectancies but because of this they will unfortunately come with a higher price tag. Choosing some form of tiles for your roof material will usually mean paying more initially than you would expect to when using other types of roof materials. You are however usually paying for quality and can expect your purchase to prove itself as a wise long term investment. This is due to the low maintenance requirements and high durability roof tiles provide.

One of the major advantages of using tiles as your roofing material is their visual appeal. They have been used for thousands of years not just because of their longevity and all round quality but also because they look good. A house with a roof covered with clay or ceramic tiles certainly looks as though it is a class above properties which use metal roofing material or those which have a flat roof. The range of tiles currently available ensures that any style of property in any location will be well suited to tiles of some kind. You can also now create the effect of having a roof covered with slate or clay tiles without actually using those expensive materials. Concrete roof tiles can be designed to have the appearance of some of these more desirable materials and are also considerably cheaper. All these options are produced from environmentally friendly materials and come with excellent fire ratings.

Tiles are certainly a great alternative to other long lasting roofing options such as metal roofs and also less high quality options like shingles. They tend to look a lot better than metal roofing materials once completed and are far more secure and durable than roofing shingles. If you can afford the initial investment and think of the long term benefits then a traditional tiled roof could add a classic finishing touch to almost any kind of property and prove to be the best roofing material overall.

If you are considering a tiled roof and are thinking about completing the project or a similar one yourself then information about DIY home improvement can be found here. If you are interested in the use of slate then this site details some other uses of the slate tile.