A solid wall insulation system fitted on the outside of the wall is by far the most effective way of insulating a home to save energy and cut heating bills. Whilst thicknesses can vary, along with different insulation materials, a typical result is a 80% minimum reduction in thermal heat loss,measured in terms of a wall’s  insulation U value .

Compare the insulated house opposite with the one below.

Continue reading

You will hear a lot of talk and read a lot of comment on the importance of U values when it comes to house insulation from both manufacturers and installers. In addition there is a whole section of the Building Regulations – Part L – devoted to enforcing certain U value standards throughout the structure of a house and covering the roof,walls,windows and floor areas.

Basically a U value is a measurement of the thermal efficiency of a material or collection of materials and represents how much heat is lost from the inside of a building . The lower the figure the better and also the slower the heat loss.

As some kind of yard stick a new build house has to hit a 0.25 U value overall and an existing solid 9 inch wall on a 1930′s house is rated at 2.05 U value !!

External thermal insulation systems on solid wall properties will typically reduce the heat loss through the walls by around 75% minimum with a resultant significant reduction in heating bills and carbon emissions as well.

For retro fitting to houses with no cavities the Building Regs give a target of 0.3 U value if possible with a maximum figure of 0.7 allowed.

Solid wall properties number over 6 million in the UK and are recognised as being far less energy efficient than cavity walled properties that have insulation in the wall cavities. The insulation industry has chosen to concentrate its efforts and resources on loft and cavity insulation until recent times when it became obvious that the UK cannot hit its legally binding emissions reduction targets without addressing the huge number of solid wall homes.

This has in turn led to a huge growth in external solid wall insulation systems to keep these house types both warmer and drier whilst cutting energy use and therefore emissions as well. Unlike bog standard external render or pvc cladding the installation of external wall insulation is complex and needs to be carried out by trained professionals following best practice.

As vastly experienced external wall renovation specialists Thinc™ are ideally placed to offer a full advisory service backed up where appropriate by a free home visit and quotation service.

To take advantage of our expertise please call for free  on 0800 975 5231 or click here to email us if you prefer.