Thermal insulation - the key to a warm house

We often decide to pay more for such technical solutions that, in the future, will help us save money. Good insulation will not only keep your home warm and cozy, but also produce real energy and money savings. 

According to a research project conducted in 2010 in Poland , effective thermal insulation is important for more than 80% of Poles. Only 1% of those polled said that the issue is of low value to them. These findings show the growing awareness of various insulation options.

Expensive vs energy saving heating

Lots of people used to claim that, when it is getting cold, it is enough to light up the stove or turn the heating up full. However, it quickly turned out that what they saved on insulating materials must have been spent on heating during just one winter season. The matter is even more serious now due to the current increases in the prices of electric energy, gas, fuel oil and coal.

Thermal insulation is another way to maintain warmth in a building. To best serve your needs, different elements within every house have to be insulated, these being the ground floor, the walls, and the roof (either a flat ceiling or a sloping roof). Well-insulated windows and doors also minimize heat loss. Although you may spent a bit more money on buil­ding such a house, you will certainly economize on its maintenance.

In addition, insulating your home properly can keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, thereby providing you with year-round comfort. Not only will you cut your cooling and heating bills by up to half, but you will also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas.

Insulation materials – many to choose from

Taking into account numerous advantages of thermal insulation, we come to the question of what forms of insulation should be used. Of course, the choice will depend on how much you need, and how much space available for insulation you have. It is worth mentioning that there are special utility companies that carry out an energy audit and measure the R-value inside your home.  

Then you can choose from a whole gamut of insulating materials, ranging from the familiar polystyrene and mineral wool to alternatives such as sheep wool and hemp.

Mineral wool (esp. fiberglass), available in batts, blankets, or loose fill, is indeed the most widely used type of thermal insulation. Nevertheless, in places where complete coverage with solid materials is difficult (i.e. around windows), it is better to use polyurethane foam.

¹ conducted by IQS Group for Schöck Polska

Magdalena Kaczor

GLOSSARY:

growing awareness – wzrost świadomości

to light up the stove – rozpalać w piecu

to turn the heating up full – włączyć ogrzewanie na maksimum

to spend – wydawać

increase – wzrost, zwiększenie

fuel oil – olej opałowy

coal – węgiel

ground floor – podłoga na gruncie

roof – dach

flat ceiling – płaski sufit

sloping – skośny, spadzisty

heat loss – utrata ciepła

to economize on – oszczędzać na

to keep cool – schładzać

bill – rachunek

to contribute to – przyczyniać się do

greenhouse gas emission – emisja gazów cieplarnianych

advantage – zaleta

space – przestrzeń, obszar

utility company – przedsiębiorstwo użyteczności publicznej

energy audit – audyt/doradztwo energetyczne

R-value – wartość R (współczynnik oporu cieplnego; stopień izolacyjności)

polystyrene – polistyren

mineral wool – wełna mineralna

hemp – konopie

fiberglass – włókno szklane

batts – płyty z wełny mineralnej

blanket – mata

loose fill – zasypka

complete coverage – pełne pokrycie

polyurethane foam – pianka poliuretan