One of the biggest problems in our homes is heat loss. When heat rises it can be lost through our walls, floors, ceilings, lofts, and roofs, which means we have to work harder and pay more to heat our houses. The planet pays too, since burning fossil fuels to create energy is notoriously bad for the environment. Thermal insulation is a great solution to combat heat loss as it creates a barrier which stops heat from escaping from certain spaces, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Thermal insulation differs from insulation for other purposes, such as acoustic insulation, which reduces the amount of noise that enters or leaves a given space. Thermal insulation is commonly installed in walls, but there are a few different ways this can happen.
Read on below to learn more about thermal insulation for walls, and if you decide that installing insulation at home makes sense for you, then fill out your details and get your quote today.
Solid Walls vs Cavity Walls
To determine what type of thermal insulation your property needs, you’ll first need to establish what type of walls you have.
Cavity walls have a hollow cavity in the middle of them which allows for ventilation. The two sides of a cavity wall are joined together with a gap running between them. Solid walls are walls with no hollow cavity in the middle of them.
Solid walls are more common to older homes, while cavity walls are a relatively new creation of the last 100 years. If your home was built before the 1920s, it probably has solid walls, while homes built since the 1920s tend to have cavity walls.
Cavity walls are thicker and have uniform bricks, whereas solid walls are thinner with bricks of different shapes and sizes. If you’re not sure whether your walls are solid or cavity walls and you can’t tell from looking at them, consult a professional insulation installer. They’ll be able to give you an insight into the type of walls you have and how to insulate them.
Why Thermally Insulate Your Walls?
There are plenty of reasons you might want to insulate your wall. Thermal wall insulation carries all the same benefits of other types of insulation, namely reduced energy bills, reduced carbon footprint, and a generally more energy efficient home.
Your walls lose a significant amount of the heat in your home, so by trapping heat indoors using thermal insulation, you can reduce heat loss and stay warmer in the winter.
How To Insulate Solid Walls
You can insulate solid walls in one of two ways. External insulation involves fixing a layer of insulation to your existing external walls. You’ll finish the insulation layer with cladding or a coat to protect it from the weather.
This type of insulation can be installed without causing significant disruption to your home and renews the outer appearance of your walls.
Internal wall insulation involves attaching either rigid insulation boards or stud walls to the inside of your walls and covering them with materials to make the wall in-keeping with the rest of your home.
One of the biggest downsides of internal wall insulation is that it reduces the amount of space you have within your rooms. It’s also much more disruptive to install.
How To Insulate Cavity Walls
To insulate cavity walls, you insert insulation materials into the cavity space within the wall. The installation process generally takes 1-2 days and isn’t disruptive, as the installer simply inserts the insulation material into the walls.
Insulation materials used to insulate cavity walls include polyurethane foam, blown mineral fibre, and polystyrene beads and granules. Blown mineral fibre insulation is probably the best choice for eco-conscious households, as this insulation material is commonly made from recycled materials. As the name suggests, this type of insulation is blown into the space using specialist equipment, so it’s not suitable for DIY installation.
How Much Does Thermal Wall Insulation Cost?
The cost of thermal wall insulation differs depending on whether you insulate your cavity walls or solid walls, and if it’s the latter, whether you opt for internal or external insulation.
Cavity wall insulation tends to be cheaper than solid wall insulation, and you can expect to pay around £200 per wall.
The price of solid wall insulation varies depending on whether you choose internal or external insulation. Internal insulation is generally cheaper, and you can expect to pay in the realm of £8000 to £12,000 to have your walls insulated internally.
External insulation, on the other hand, is more likely to set you back up to £15,000, but it’s less disruptive than internal wall insulation and won’t take up space in the rooms of your home.
Is Thermal Insulation For Walls Worth It?
Thermal insulation for walls certainly makes your home more energy efficient, and though it’s costly at the outset, you tend to make at least a proportion of those costs back with the money you save on energy bills.
If you want to assess quotes of insulation installers in your area to see if thermal insulation is a suitable solution for your walls, use our quote finder to find the best contractors.
