
Improving
the thermal insulation of the house is the best way to avoid heat loss and thus
save energy. Installing a good thermal insulator on walls, even on ceilings and
floors, can result in energy savings of up to 35% in heating costs. Let's see
how you can insulate your home and what is the best thermal insulation for your
business.
The importance of thermal insulation
People began
to think about thermal insulation when they realized how much energy is
actually spent on heating the street. Through several cold bridges, heat
escapes from the room, practically does not remain inside, and energy carriers
are consumed at a cosmic speed.
Thermal
insulation in the house helps to save on the consumption of natural resources,
saving the entire budget. The degree of its relevance - further.
In addition
to significant savings in energy and money, thermal insulation protects walls
from natural influences that lead to early destruction. Efficiently insulated
external walls ensure the correct distribution of heat throughout the room,
thereby improving the microclimate inside the rooms.
What is thermal insulation?
It is the
ability of a building system to resist the passage of heat, acting as a barrier
between two media. As for buildings, it means that they are isolated from the
weather to maintain their temperature.
Homes are
exposed to extreme weather, a condition that is more severe in winter or
summer, as cold and heat do their work, affecting comfort within the structure.
systems
To ensure
the correct insulation of buildings in Chile, the Ministry of Housing and
Urbanism created Decree No. 192, which defines the thermal resistance that
building materials must have, depending on the region in which the houses are
located.
This has made
thermal insulation a more popular concept, and a factor to consider when
designing housing projects.
You may be
interested in: Challenges posed by the new thermal standard
3 reasons why thermal insulation is important
Although the
agency's regulations are relevant, insulation of homes from temperatures is
essential for economic, environmental and quality of life reasons.
1. Greater comfort
Good
insulation provides the house with more comfort. For the environment to be
pleasant, the temperature should be maintained between 18 and 20 degrees, and
the humidity between 40 and 60%.
2. Economy
Proper
insulation means fewer stoves or air conditioners are used to maintain the
temperature. The result? Less waste of energy and money.
3. Less pollution
Heating and
cooling systems generate the greenhouse effect (an increase in temperature due
to the concentration of gases), which negatively affects the environment.
However, this can be reduced by using a good heat insulator. The reason: if the
use of appliances to maintain temperature is reduced, the production of
polluting gases decreases.
Insulation Materials
To obtain
these benefits, there are building systems that allow maintaining the thermal
insulation of ventilated roofs, facades, windows and floors.
Main types
1. Expanded
polystyrene
2. Mineral
or rock wool
3. Glass
wool
4.
Polyurethane foam
5. Aluminum
films
Aspects to consider in thermal insulation solutions
1.
Insulating materials are used to isolate cold and heat
In winter
they prevent heat from leaving the house, while in summer, they prevent high
temperatures from entering the home through walls, ceilings, and floors.
2. “Thermal
Resistance”
Also called
the "R-value", it expresses the level of thermal insulation of the
material. The higher its value, the higher its resistance.
Thermal
insulation features
A well
insulated home offers many very interesting advantages to consider before
insulating that help make a positive decision.
Thermal
comfort and luxury at home.
Good thermal
insulation will ensure a comfortable temperature inside the house, a constant
temperature independent of the room and independent of the season of the year
and therefore the outside temperature.
Prevent
moisture and mildew.
In a
well-insulated house, moisture does not appear due to condensation, that is,
there are no cold areas where the surrounding moisture condenses.
Energy saving
Adequate
thermal insulation saves air conditioning energy, both in winter and summer.
Depending on the house and the type of insulation chosen, the savings can be
greater than 50% of the total energy expenditure on air conditioning.
Environmental care
An efficient
home consumes less energy, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and thus
cares about the environment.
Thermal
insulation in floors
This is one
of the most important places in the home or office that needs to be included in
the thermal insulation system, yet it is the most forgettable. Thermal
insulation in the floors represents a 20% saving of stored energy.
Cold
radiation comes from floors that do not have thermal insulation, which makes
the house not have the necessary comfort to stay in. Priority in the insulation
project for walls and ceiling.
It is
advisable to include flooring in a thermal insulation project, especially when
the youngsters of the family spend a lot of time playing on the floor of the
house. It is a pleasant way to maintain the level of thermal efficiency,
providing maximum comfort for the whole family.
The most
recommended solution for floor insulation is underfloor heating. Its
composition increases thermal resistance, thanks to the heating of the system
capable of storing energy.
Thermal
insulation is the limitation of heat transfer between contacting objects or
within their radiation range. Thermal insulation provides an area where heat is
reflected by conduction and heat by radiation. The thermal insulation capacity
of a material is measured as the inverse of its thermal conductivity.
In the home,
thermal insulation is the set of materials and technologies that are applied to
building elements to separate spaces while reducing heat transfer.
From a
thermal point of view, a house is an assembly made up of different materials
that come into contact with a somewhat hot or cold environment, depending on
the season of the year, time of day, or weather conditions. Therefore,
transfers occur
Constantly
heat. The function of thermal insulation is to prevent these heat transfer
processes.
Therefore
home insulation is a very important thing that affects us all, whether for
comfort, for savings, for health or for other reasons. And that is that we
dedicate a large part of our lives inside our homes.
Insulation
can be applied to different parts of the house:
interface
isolation. Thermal insulation is applied to the walls of the house either
outside or inside or by injecting the air chamber. Depending on the orientation
of the house (link), more stringent insulation may be required for the north
facade (houses in cold climates) or on the south facade (houses in hot
climates).
Roof
insulation. Thermal insulation is applied to the roof of the building and it is
advisable to accompany it with waterproofing.
Insulation
of floors and ceilings. It is recommended in those situations where they are in
contact with outdoor or uninhabitable areas, such as garages, access ramps or
storage rooms.
Insulation
of internal spacers. It is recommended in those situations where they are in
contact with unheated public areas or other homes.
Insulation
of installations and pipes. In particularly cold environments, it is advisable
to insulate fixtures and piping, avoiding loss of power while they are in
operation, especially if they are located or circulate outside.
What
problems are solved by installing a heat insulator?
The main
purpose of installing reflective heat insulators in any building is to maintain
a pleasant microclimate inside when outside temperatures are not, which
prevents heat transfer between two media thanks to its high degree of thermal
resistance.
• In winter,
the role of reflective heat insulators is to conserve energy indoors and thus
reduce heating consumption, preventing cold from outside from entering the
home.
• In summer,
on the other hand, it works to prevent overheating of buildings by reducing the
transmission of solar radiation absorbed from outside the building to the
inside.
Reflective
insulators protect building construction elements from the influence of
external temperature by breaking existing thermal bridges, which are those
areas of the housing envelope that transfer heat more easily to other rooms,
increase the building's thermal resistance and improve its habitability.
Finally, well-combined reflective heat insulators avoid problems caused by moisture.