INSULATION


Future-roofing


With a global gas supply crunch, issues with renewables and strong demand pushing up energy prices, the energy efficient design of roofing and insulation is vitally important for homeowners, as isa rosse from Cedral explains


I


n 2025, The Future Homes Standard will come into effect, designed to ensure all new homes


are future-proofed, with low-carbon heating systems and higher levels of energy efficiency.


One quarter of all heat energy in a home escapes through the roof. With insulation you can more easily regulate the temperature in your home. The better your insulation, the less heat will escape when it’s cold outside. Conversely in summer, good insulation will keep your home cool when temperatures rise. It can get very hot under your roof. If your AC ducts pass through your attic, they will also require insulation against heat. With hot roof insulation, your ducts can remain cooler as your attic has a more conditioned stable temperature. Cold outside temperatures often lead to condensation on the inside of your roof if it’s not insulated well. Insulation can also help to prevent moisture


jan/feb 2023


problems and ice dams by preventing the heat of the home from melting snow on the roof.


A WARM OR A COLD ROOF? There are two ways to categorise how a roof has been set up to manage heat – a warm roof or a cold roof. nowing which one your property has can provide guidance on measures that need to be taken to ensure the building’s long-term energy efficiency. A warm roof is normally constructed when living accommodation is within or partially within the roof space. Insulation is installed as part of the roof deck, on top of a vapour control layer and underneath the roof covering. This set up is designed to provide improved thermal performance, with the insulation placed within andor onto the roof rafters. It reduces heat losses and balances your home’s temperature both in winter and summer. owever, this may come at


the expense of space and head height if installed within an existing roof or may require a higher roof pitch at the construction stage. ou also need ventilation below the roof slates or tiles to avoid condensation. Cold roof insulation is placed between and over the wooden joists above the ceiling of the building’s top floor. This insulation above the ceiling keeps the heat or cool air in the summer from escaping from the rooms under it. ut as the roof rafters and remaining roof structure are not directly insulated, the loft remains cold.’ If the installation is not correct however, the temperature of the building can be affected through thermal bridging, with the cooler temperature of the roof rafters transferring to the structure below or heat escaping into the loft.


Whether you have a warm or cold


roof, correctly installed insulation will provide greater energy efficiency by


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