The current climatic trends have made it necessary for the world to adopt techniques for insulating buildings for all the seasons in an effort towards creating a ‘greener’ world. It is believed that by embracing proper insulation methods, the dependence on energy to maintain optimum conditions inside a building is minimised and thus energy conservation. Additionally, less dependence on machines to insulate structures means lesser pollution and therefore a healthier environment.
Insulating for all seasons will also maintain comfort levels inside a building all through the year and minimise wear and tear on your HVAC equipment.
So, just how do you insulate a building for all seasons?
Determine if you need insulation
The most obvious sign that your building requires improved insulation is the high energy bills that are constantly slapping you in different weather seasons. This is usually an indication that the flow of heat within is not optimized and thus the high need to have the HVAC equipment continuously running. Another indication for poor insulation is having cold or hot spots or generally having extremely hot interiors in the summer and extremely cold interiors in winter. Ice dams on the roofs and many indoor drafts should also be a sign that your building needs some action.
Understand how insulation works
Insulation is all about heat energy and how it is gained or lost. While it is assumed that in cold weather we are fighting off the cold, cold does not actually exist but instead it is the absence of heat. This therefore means that one has to understand how heat transfers, and this is mainly through radiation, convection and conduction. These processes of heat transfer could transpire between wall adjoining exterior spaces, floors between conditioned and exterior spaces, in attic and ceiling or even in shafts such as stairwells. With proper insulation of these areas, a building is able to retain most of its heat in cold temperatures and blocks the outside heat from transferring inside during the hot temperatures.
Identify proper insulation type for each area
Finding the best insulation for any structure is best determined with the help of an expert. Usually, the point and method of heat transfer will be the deciding factor on what insulation type is most suitable. However, other factors such as insulation material and amount of labour involved may cause one to choose one method over the other. Common types of insulation used include reflective systems, fibre insulation, sprayed foam, concrete block insulation and blanket insulation. Each has its own benefits as well as disadvantages and therefore it is often upon the buyer to make a choice.
Conclusion
Building insulation may sound as a very basic task to most people but the technicalities it involves has made it difficult for many people to achieve proper insulation for their structures. Careful planning as well as extensive research is needed in order to achieve good results. While most people resolve to having experts sought out the matter, it is still necessary to stay involved in the process as much as you can in order to be able to make informed decisions.