THE 5✔ TOP HOME INSULATION MISTAKES TO AVOID*
Insulating your own home may seem like one of the simplest tasks. And it is true as long as we follow certain generally accepted principles. However, failure to adhere to them can result in unwanted effects such as freezing temperatures, mould on walls, and even the destruction of the structure of the building. In this article, we will describe what to avoid when insulating your own home. Here are the top 5 common mistakes. By understanding these common mistakes, you can ensure your home is properly insulated, comfortable year-round, and save on your energy bills.
MISTAKE 1✔: CHOOSING THE WRONG TYPE OF INSULATION FOR YOUR HOME'S NEED
One of the most common mistakes made when insulating homes is at the very beginning of the process, specifically during the selection of insulation materials. Often, lack of knowledge or the desire to save money leads to irreversible mistakes. Different materials are used for insulating external walls, internal walls, floors, and attics. We have already covered almost all of them in previous articles. Here are a few of them:
FLOOR
BEST FLOOR INSULATION - THE COMPLETE GUIDE
EXTERNAL WALL
EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION: DON'T LET THESE PROBLEMS HAUNT YOU!
THE BENEFITS OF INSTALLING 50MM GREY POLYSTYRENE INSULATION
FULL FILL CAVITY INSULATION AS WE KNOW IT
INTERNAL WALL
THE INSULATION GAME: DON'T LET HEAT ESCAPE, WIN WITH PROPER INSULATION!
CHOOSING THE BEST THICKNESS OF KINGSPAN INSULATION FOR YOUR PROJECT
INSULATION BACKED PLASTERBOARD THICKNESS
CEILING
SUSTAINABLE AND AFFORDABLE: KINGSPAN ALTERNATIVES AND EQUIVALENTS THAT WON'T BREAK THE BANK
ROCKWOOL® HEAVY DENSITY INSULATION
HOW TO INSTALL INSULATED PLASTERBOARD?
LOFT
IS KINGSPAN THE BEST THERMAL INSULATION IN THE UK?
MINERAL WOOL INSULATION. THE UGLY TRUTH?
SPRAY FOAM INSULATION - IS IT REALLY THAT GOOD?
ROOF
THE TOP LOW-COST INSULATION CHOICES FOR YOUR HOME
MISTAKE 2✔: NOT SEALING AIR LEAKS BEFORE INSULATING
When you have already chosen the appropriate insulation, one important step is to ensure air tightness and eliminate unwanted external pressures. Even the smallest gap in the roof, wall, or floor leads to drafts and unnecessary costs on our bills.
It is commonly said that one hole in the vapour control barrier (VCL) of about 50mm can cool down the entire room by 4 degrees. This is not insignificant considering the current gas or energy costs. Therefore, it is better to avoid such situations. It can be also confidently said that ensuring wind tightness is almost as important as insulation itself. Even the best insulation, such as Kingspan or Celotex, will not work properly if there are such building execution errors. Hence, it is important to seal the building!
One of the best examples of a building's air leakage is a broken roof membrane, lack of damp proof membrane, holes in cavity walls, or leaky sash windows or door seals.
Here are a few articles in which we have already covered these topics:
VAPOUR CONTROL LAYER. DARK SIDE
FOIL INSULATION: TO GAP OR NOT TO GAP? THAT IS THE QUESTION!
MISTAKE 3✔: NOT INSTALLING ENOUGH INSULATION
Assuming you have chosen the right insulation, applied it correctly, sealed your home, and ….. You start looking for cheaper insulation options and end up wanting to save on insulation thickness. This is actually the second most common mistake when insulating homes.
Perhaps the best example of this mistake is the External Wall Insulation (EWI) system. You pay for adhesives, mesh, and installation costs, which are always fixed. But if yoi save on insulation thickness, you are only deceiving yourself. Increasing its thickness later is often impossible. How can you increase the thickness of insulation on a thin-layered plaster? So always think twice if it's worth it, and remember when doing EWI - don't save, use the thickest insulation available on the market.
But let's be reasonable and not go overboard, as over-insulating our home also has consequences. We wrote about this in this article - THE DANGERS OF OVER INSULATING YOUR HOME.
MISTAKE 4✔: NOT PROPERLY INSTALLING INSULATION AROUND DOORS AND WINDOWS
The most sensitive and vulnerable point when it comes to insulating a house is the area around windows and doors. Why? There are several reasons for that. One of them is the limited space available for insulation. The window or door frame often has a thickness of only 60-80mm, which is not much for insulation. We also have to take into account the width of the hinges, which further reduces the available space. As a result, the area around the window or door becomes the thinnest insulated part of the wall, and we have to be very careful when insulating it. We need to use the best possible insulation with very good thermal conductivity. Here are a few examples of thermal bridges captured on a thermal imaging camera. One picture is worth a thousand words.
MISTAKE 5✔: IGNORING THE IMPORTANCE OF VENTILATION IN THE HOME.
The last and yet the most common mistake we encounter in the UK is ignoring the role of ventilation in the house. Generally speaking, mould in the house can arise from two reasons: either due to too much temperature difference between the window and the room or due to lack of ventilation.
Most often, it is the lack of proper ventilation and air exchange that leads to mould in the rooms. Therefore, when insulating the building, let's remember that we are building a thermos from which we need to remove humid air.
A good habit when insulating a house is to use trickle vents in windows or additional mechanical fans in the bathroom or kitchen. Installers often forget or do not want to make ventilation holes. Let's take care of it ourselves!! For more information on what lack of ventilation can lead to, please see below.
HOW TO PREVENT WINDOW CONDENSATION
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, avoiding common insulation mistakes such as choosing a cheaper and thinner insulation, neglecting the importance of ventilation, and not paying attention to the areas around windows and doors can greatly impact the efficiency of your home insulation. By ensuring that your home is properly insulated with the right materials and thickness, and also having adequate ventilation, you can reap the benefits of reduced energy bills, a more comfortable home, and a healthier living environment. It is important to take the time and effort to get insulation right, as it can have a significant impact on the overall quality and cost-effectiveness of your home.
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