of heat losses can occur because of thermal bridging. This is where materials which are more conductive to heat than the insulation create a ‘bridge’ between the inner and outer face of a construction. These bridges often occur around windows and doors, or at junctions between the wall and floor or roof due to gaps in the insulation layer, or inconsistencies in its thickness. In addition to allowing more heat loss, they can also lead to issues with condensation and dampness. To prevent this, your architect should
create drawings of all of the key junctions (or use existing ones from manufacturers), to check that the insulation will limit thermal bridges. Your installers then need to carefully follow these, ensuring the products they fit match those used for the calculations.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS IF I
INSTALL A HEAT PUMP? Heat pumps operate most efficiently (and affordably) at lower flow temperatures than conventional gas boilers. This means it is crucial to ensure all parts of your home are well insulated so it retains heat more effectively, allowing you to get the full benefit of these systems. Good insulation levels are particularly important if you’re fitting an air source heat pump. These use external air as their source of heat, and as temperatures drop, they have to work harder to extract it. If your home allows lots of this heat to
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escape, your bills could increase significantly. It’s also much more complicated and expensive to improve insulation in areas like floors or walls at a later date, so it pays to get it right from the start.
DO I NEED TO CONSIDER
OVERHEATING? As our climate warms, we’re likely to experience heat waves which are more frequent and intense, increasing the risk of properties overheating. This shouldn’t stop you insulating your
home to a high level, or mean you have to compromise its energy efficiency. Instead, you should look at design features to minimise heat gains.
These can include adjusting the orientation of your house, changing the size or orientation of windows, and fitting windows that don’t allow as much solar heat in, or adding external shading, insulating hot water pipes, and even fitting more energy efficient appliances which will release less heat when running.
Matthew Evans is GB head of technical at Kingspan Insulation
nov/dec 2021
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