Heat insulation makes it possible to be warm in winter, cool in summer

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 20

Heat insulation makes it possible to be warm in winter, cool in summer

Heat insulation is a barrier to prevent, or at least slow very greatly, the flow of heat.

We all know how heat tends to rise, the hottest air is near the top of the room, up against the ceiling Thirty per cent to 40 per cent of the heat loss from a house takes place through the ceiling and roof areas. Hence heat insulation material placed on the ceiling traps this heat, and prevents it getting out. There is also the tendency for heat to spread out over a whole area, and even out the temperature to a common level. We see (or feel) this when the doors are left open! The rest of the house is being warmed slightly at the expense of the one room. In the home—or any other building—the purpose of heat insulation is to reduce, as far as possible, the loss of heat to the colder outside spaces. Whenever heat is required for comfort, or any other reason, insulation can help to conserve this heat, and thus to reduce the cost of heating. The electric oven, and the refrigerator, are two common examples of the use of heat insulation. The electric storage water heater, and the storage space heater both demand efficient insulation to be effective.

Quite apart from the home, there are many other places where heat insulation can be effective and save money. Chicken brooders, fowl houses, pipe-lines conveying heated materials, and in fact any place, room, container, and so on, where heat has to be stored, can be made more efficient, and the running cost reduced, if heat insulation is provided. The following notes are written with particular refer-1;

t ence to home heating, but H most of what is said has “ equal application to the other ' uses too. > The advantages of heat H insulation include: > An even temperature over ' the whole room. (In a non - insulated room, J there can be a difference . of as much as'2s deg. . to 30 deg. F between floor and ceiling tempera--5 ture. With insulation, , this can be reduced to , 5 deg.) The hottest air ’ is always at the top. Substantial savings—of the f order of 30 per cent to r 40 per cent reductions—t can be made in the fuel ■ bill. ! The house will be cooler in , . summer, as well as . warmer in winter. (Heat insulation acts in both ; directions. It prevents » hot outside atmosphere transmitting heat in- ! wards, or, put another way, retains the cooler t interior air.) r (4) As wall and ceiling suri faces are kept above ; condensation tempera- • tures, the growth of mould is prevented. ■ (5) “Fill” type insulation is also a sound insulator, and reduces greatly the amount of noise heard from adjoining rooms, or from above. (6) The cost of installing insulation is saved within a very few years (generally three to four years), in the lower costs for power, and thereafter continues (with no extra expense for maintenance) the savings. There are two major types of insulation, blanket and reflective.

The blanket type is the more common. It uses the principle of trapped air. Common types available are Fibre Iglass, various processed

materials, having extensive air pockets, and available under various trade names, such as Insul-fluf, Insul-fome, Perlite, Vermiculite, and so on, and also soft-boards as used in building construction. Some of these are easily installed by the handyman, at least in the roof space. The Fibre-glass comes in batts or blankets of fixed sizes, and is laid or placed between the studs of the wall or the ceiling joists. Most of the other materials are of the loose-fill type and can be either blown or laid in these spaces. The softboards sheets are of course secured in the normal manner of building construction, and may if desired be placed over or under other material.

The reflective type of insulant usually consists of an aluminium foil, possibly with a backing sheet, placed on the inside of wall studs.

It is not normally recommended for ceiling insulation, as it can so easily become a vapour barrier, and allow condensation to form. This form of insulation does not lend itself so readily to installation by the home handyman.

What insulation saves Heating costs vary greatly,

depending on habits and personal likes. Assume that the annual home heating costs $lOO. With insulation saving 30 per cent, i.e. $3O, the cost of insulation can be saved in very few years. Thereafter there is a regular saving of $3O each year, or more if the price of fuel has increased. Other ways to help reduce heat losses: Heavy drapes over glass windows (kept drawn at night time, or when room is not in use).

Carpeted floors. Close-fitting doors and windows. Double-glazed windows (generally only justified where very cold conditions can apply). Avoid unnecessarily high interior temperatures. (E.D..A. bulletin).