Air conditioners and heaters are there to keep us at the temperature we’re most comfortable with, aren’t they? Wrong! Air conditioners and heaters help us achieve a certain temperature but cool air is lost in summer and warm air is lost in winter. We need insulation to save energy and gain even temperatures in our homes.

Is Roof Insulation Necessary?

To maintain desired indoor temperatures and keep energy costs down, we need to insulate our houses. Roof Insulation creates a barrier reducing the amount of heat lost on a cold day. Alternatively, the amount of heat invading the home on a warm day. Other reasons:

Insulation creates a barrier between the environment inside and the outdoor climate. It provides resistance to the flow of heat.

Your house will maintain a more stable temperature throughout the year providing a pleasant indoor environment to live in.

Mould growth within homes is related to the temperature of the air and the percentage of humidity within the building. By providing insulation to your home the surface temperature will be higher limiting the risk of mould.

Reducing energy consumed for domestic heating can reduce carbon dioxide emissions, ultimately preventing climate change. Less fossil fuel consumption will ensure a more sustainable environment for future generations

Save money on utility bills.

A cost effective way to upgrade your home. There are health benefits. Less variable temperature. Reduced mould. Roof insulation products like Isotherm Insulation and Aerolite insulation will give you a comfortable home. In fact your home will be cooler in summer and warmer in winter before any heating and cooling costs are needed.

So how does it work?

On a hot day the roof absorbs the heat and it gets progressively hotter and begins emitting heat within the building. Concrete and bricks retain the heat and the house remains at an uncomfortable temperature at night. In winter the reverse is true. The heat on the roof is lost outdoors and at night the indoor climate can be similar to the outdoors.

Heat always moves from the hottest area to the colder one. Insulation is the key to ending this cycle. In an insulated house, heat flow via the ceiling and walls is greatly limited, depending on the thermal conductivity of the material installed.

Properly installed, good quality insulation prevents heat moving through the roof and walls. This results in the house being kept at an optimum temperature with considerably less heating and cooling energy. This way in winter most of the heat that is indoors remains trapped by the insulation, thus keeping the building warm. Conversely in summer the indoor environment is kept cooler than the outdoors. Isotherm is a eco friendly insulation product.

So where do heaters and air conditioners fit in?

Heaters and air-conditioners are inefficient tools for indoor-climate-control when there is no insulation. In extreme weather the heat exchange through the ceiling causes most of the heat to be lost when cold. Similarly on a hot day it causes too much heat to re-enter the home. Due to the severe heat gain/loss air-conditioners and heaters need to be run perpetually on maximum to maintain comfort.

A great illustration is that of a fridge with the door open. Eventually the compressor malfunctions under constant pressure to keep the fridge cool inside as the warmer air dominates. However with the door closed the fridge keeps the cool air within the fridge at an even temperature. This is how insulation works.

In an insulated house air-conditioners do not need to run for as long or hard. This is due to the fact that the temperature inside will not be overcome by the heat outdoors. Similarly heaters are not required to run for as long or high since more heat is retained by insulation.

Finally

The reduced cost saved from less energy consumption greatly outweighs the cost of the insulation which, ultimately, covers its own costs.

A building with insulation can reduce heating and air conditioning costs by up to forty percent. This means big savings on utility bills and reduced pollution due to lower energy use