Make your home more energy efficient and save money on your electricity bill
Previous article on home insulation and energy efficiency
Simple Ideas for making your home more energy efficient and improve your house insulation
Silicon sealing with a caulking gun
(as mentioned in previous article) the vertical intersections between timber and brick or other different materials (e.g. where plaster may join timber) or where scribers join weather boards are all ways to reduce draft or air movement.
Make sure that you don't seal areas that are needed for allowing condensation or moisture out such as the horizontal intersections between the bottom weather board and the concrete foundation or the weep holes to a brick wall.
These are very necessary in maintaining a healthy building.
Everything needs to breath especially timber but what we are trying to do is get rid of unintentional and unnecessary holes.
The fiberglass wool/blanket is laid between the ceiling joists directly onto the lath or plasterboard. This way as heat rises and warms up the plasterboard once it gets to the other side of the board it is trapped by the fiberglass blanket. Similarly in summer when the sun beats down on the roof and the attic or loft space gets hot from summer sun) it goes no further than the space and doesn't get into the living spaces below.
Although heat rises, when a space such as the attic gets to be full of hot air the heat will naturally radiate in all directions, especially when the air is hotter in the attic than in the house. Remember that heat will flow to the cold. What the fiberglass insulation does is creates a thermal barrier between the attic space and the living spaces below. Plaster board doesn't do this effectively but does stop air movement.
I have had a number of clients with older homes who have asked me how much insulation should I put in. Your local building control authority will have a minimum set by the government (most building supply stores will know these codes), but my recommendation is to put in the minimum and then what ever extra you can afford after that. I have double insulated my home and although it is a small extra cost it is well worth the effort. Some say it is not necessary, or it is an overkill, or that there is only so much insulation required before it is a waste however the proof is in the reduction in power or electricity bills so it works well here.
When installing the blanket use safety gear such as a dust mask and gloves, be careful not to stand on the ceiling itself as it won't support you, use the framing instead. Don't cover the light fittings with the blanket, use an approved light fitting cover to avoid any risk of fire.
More information on home insulation using glazing.
House insulation using drapery and energy efficient checklist.
How to increase energy efficiency.
