INSULATION ESSENTIAL FOR COMFORT, ECONOMY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31349, 20 April 1967, Page 18

INSULATION ESSENTIAL FOR COMFORT, ECONOMY

£ORRECT heating is the application of warmth in sufficient quantity to make up the normal body losses. The best and most efficient heating effect is obtained when the recipient is not conscious of either warmth or cold.

Properly installed insulation makes a home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, it leads to considerably reduced fuel bills and can eliminate condensation problems.

Insulation is of such great benefit in heating a home because it saves most of the 50 per cent loss of heat which normally results from the heat escaping through modern plaster-type ceilings.

Most insulation materials are also completely fire-resistant, which is an important feature, and are proof against rotting. Insulation is not expensive, and as many persons are learning, it can save its own cost in reduced fuel bills in a comparatively short time.

Typical comments from persons who have had insulation installed in their homes are: “The savings of 50 per cent in the fuel Mil will more than compensate for the cost”; “I saved 47 per cent on my fuel last winter”; end “It has completely eliminated the problem of sweating walls.” Manufacturers claim insulation will keep homes up to 20 per cent cooler in summer, as well as warmer in winter; in cold weather, heating in the rooms is more even, as well as more efficient.

It makes a major difference to floor-level temperatures: these can be within five degrees of temperature at the ceiling instead of the “uninsulated” 26 degree difference.

The value of insulation is underlined by figures quoted by United States experts. They say the loss of heat from the average home is 60 per cent through the ceiling or attic, and 40 per cent through the doors, walls and windows.

During the lest 18 months insulation of houses has moved into the public spotlight more and more, and this growth of popularity is largely because of the education of the public which has been canted on by manufacturers of insulation. Once the theory of home

insulation is realised by the average man in the street, it is only sensible that he will do something immediately to stop the terrific waste of heat that goes on in an ordinary home. Recently an Insulation manufacturer carried out

independently - supervised tests in two Christchurch motels, one of which had roof insulation installed. For the tests a nationally known electrical company supplied the latest type heating equipment and the University of Canterbury installed temperature recording apparatus. The cooperation of the M.E.D., the Master Builders’ Association and a prominent firm of architects was also obtained. During the tests many hundreds of readings were taken and carefully recorded. These provided much valuable information.

For the benefit of the homeowner, interested in the basic advantages of insulation, three of the tests have been summarised and are reproduced here. TEST 1 Temperature Rise Test PERIOD: 8. p.m. Juno 16 to 10 a.m. June 17. OBJECT: To measure the temperature difference between an insulated area and an uninsulated area. CONDITIONS: 4 k.w. of beating was run continu-

ously in the lounge-dinette area of the two . test unit motels. RESULT: Temperature in the insulated motel was recorded at 87 degrees. Temperature in the uninsulated motel was recorded at 73 degrees. CONCLUSION: This test proved; (a) A large amount of warmth escapes through the ceiling in uninsulated homes. (b) An insulated house using the same amount of heat would be much warmer ... in this case 14 degrees warmer.

TESTS Current Consumption Teat PERIOD: 5 p.m. June 13 to 10 a.m. June 14. OBJECT: To determine the difference in the amount of power required to keep the two test buildings at an identical temperature. CONDITIONS: 5400 watts of panel heating were used and the thermostats were set to maintain the temperature at 65 degrees. RESULTS: The uninsulated motel used 64 units. The insulated motel used 41 units. CONCLUSION: A saving of 35.9 per cent on power costs was attributed directly to the ceiling insulation. ------------------------

TESTS Temperature Rise Time Test PERIOD: 8 am. June 15 to 5 p.m. June 15. OBJECT: To compare the time required to raise the temperature of the motels from cold to 65 degrees. CONDITIONS: The two motels were left unheated until the temperature dropped to the equal of the outside temperature (43 degrees). Ail heaters were then switched on without thermostat control RESULTS: The unlnsu lated motel took two hours

47 minutes to attain a temperature average of 65 degrees throughout the unit The time for the insulated unit was only one hour 53 minutes.

CONCLUSION: The uninsulated motel took 47.7 per cent or nearly half as long again to heat up than the motel with insulation. This is a major advantage, particularly where man and wife are out during the day and return to a completely cold house in the evenings. Other Advantages In winter with a large amount of heat passing through the ceiling of the uninsulated houses the underside of the corrugated iron can be quite warm while tile outside is very cold. This inevitably results in heavy condensation forming on the unpainted side of the iron with serious results.

With insulation preventing the passage of heat through the ceiling the iron remains at an even temperature, eliminating condensation.

Cleaner rooms and ceilings may sound rather a doubtful claim, but in fact it is perfectly logical when the reasons are explained. In an uninsulated room, much warm air, and with it dirt and dust particles, rises to the ceiling. The warm air passes through leaving the dirt on the ceiling. That is why you see the shape of the rafters on the inside of the ceiling, as those are the only areas where the heat cannot penetrate so readily. With insulation installed, the warm air does not pass through the ceiling but recirculates within the room.

Insulation can be installed by a firm of insulation experts, or by the homeowner himself. One firm which markets a “loose-fill” insulation claims it can install insulation in the average house in less than two hours. An installation vehicle drives to the door and a three-inch diameter hose is passed into the celling. The insulation is pumped through the hose and spread to a depth of four inches between the ceiling joists.

Where a “loose fill” insulation is used, it is accepted that doubling the thickness in the ceiling improves the installed performance by 50 per cent Thus four inches of insulation will give 50 per cent more efficiency than two inches, and consequently four inches will give more overall comfort and even greater savings in fuel.

Where centrally heated homes are being insulated, four inches is the minimum of insulation required—this is borne out by manufacturers’ product data.

Any complaint against insulation is usually from one of two causes—insufficient depth of insulation, or insulation badly installed.

Some other types of insulation are supplied in batts or “sheets,” which can easily be laid by hand. No tools are needed, and again it is claimed an average house can be insulated in about two hours.

As well as insulation in batts and of the loose-fill type, there is a reinforced aluminium foil type of insulation, which is claimed to cut heat flow through the roof by about 75 per cent in summer and up to 70 per cent in winter. It also acts as a moisture barrier and inhibits mould formation.