Floor insulation. About 1. 0 of heat loss from an average home is through the ground floor. If your floor isnt already insulated, this could be a good move to help you cut your energy bills. Not sure whether you already have floor insulation, or want to install it but dont know how Read on to find out more about floor insulation and whats the right option for your home. Do you need to insulate your floor Theres no point in investing in expensive floor insulation if you dont need it, or if its unsuitable for your home, but how do you know one way or the otherWhether you need floor insulation or not depends on your home and what kind of floors it has Older houses with suspended floors, which are in effect above a void, are likely to lose more heat through the floor. Homes with solid concrete floors, built since the 1. Concrete floor insulation can, however, be installed and usually consists in a layer of solid insulation which is placed directly on the floor. Modern houses tend to incorporate slabs of polystyrene insulation a few inches below the concrete floor surface, effectively reducing this type of heat loss. Whatever your home, theres still some kind of measure you can take to insulate your floor. Four ways to insulate your floor. Draught proofing simply use sealant or caulking to fill the gaps between your floorboards and between skirting boards and the floor. Add an insulating layer under your carpet or floor covering try a fibreboard underlay or polyfoam board. A rug its not going to solve all your problems, but putting a rug on top of bare floorboards will help to block some draughts and keep your toes warm. Underfloor insulation if you have you an access hatch that allows you to get into the crawlspace void below the floorboards, this is a relatively easy process, if not you will have to take up the floorboards. You will need to use netting or wooden battens to hold the glass or mineral wool style insulation in place beneath the floorboards. Alternatively, it may be easier to use batts rather than blanket style insulation. Batts typically also have the advantage of having a slightly higher R value the higher the R value, the greater the insulators effectiveness. Underfloor heating may be successfully installed within a wooden suspended floor. It is essential that planning begins at an early stage in the project to ensure the. Sheeps wool could also be considered, due to its breathability. One thing to remember, however, is the need for ventilation. The void or crawlspace below the floorboards will have ventilation grills and these should not be blocked up, as floorboards may otherwise become damp and start to rot. What else should you insulate in the home While floor insulation is a great way to save money, it is by no means the first form of insulation you should look at around your home. Loft insulation. If your property has a roof with attic space then loft insulation is the first thing you should look at, particularly since an estimated 2. Loft insulation is cheap to buy, easy to install you can even do it yourself and can save you serious amounts of money over the years. Even if you already have loft insulation in place it may be worth checking whether you have the recommended levels installed. The recommended depth for blanket style insulation is between 2. If your loft insulation was installed some time ago theres a good chance its less than that. And even though loft insulation is cheap to buy and install, its also possible to receive grants towards your loft insulation. Wall insulation. While significantly more expensive to install than loft insulation, wall insulation could save you even more money over the long term. Wall insulation is typically divided into two types, depending on what type of home you have. Cavity wall insulation, typically suitable for homes built after 1.
Solid wall insulation, for homes built earlier, insulates around the outer wall itself. If your home was built more recently still theres a good chance you will already have cavity wall insulation in place but now know about it. The problem with this form of insulation is that you will usually need help getting it installed. For cavity wall for instance, holes have to be drilled into your wall through which the insulation material is pumped. Luckily there are plenty of energy efficiency grants that will help you pay for the costs of wall insulation. Draught proofing. If installing proper insulation sounds like too much work dont worry, there is a quick fix solution that could still save you money and energy and is cheap to buy and easy to do yourself. Draught proofing is all about securing the cracks and spaces around typically areas of heat loss around the home. The most common culprits are windows and doors and their frames, but you should also check for draughts around letterboxes and chimneys. Luckily its also an easy problem to solve. Draught proofing materials like draught proofing strips can be placed around casements, or you can use putty or sealant in any clear cracks. For the big gaps between the bottom of your door and the frame meanwhile you can buy brushes or hinged draught excluders that can be easily attached. Similarly letterboxes can be sealed with flaps or brushes, like the Eco. Flap. For bigger gaps like chimneys you need specialised products. A chimney balloon is inflated and inserted up your chimney flue or, better still, if you dont use your chimney you can simply have it capped off at the top. Q A underfloor heating Self build. Underfloor heating UFH, both wet and dry, is loved by self builders for its even heat distribution, energy efficiency and compatibility with green methods of heating. But while the idea is simple, the practicalities might not be quite so straightforward. What are the implications for flooring How long does it take Can I extend the system later Here we answer readers questions about installing UFH in new build or renovation projects. Q Can UFH be used on any type of floor substrate What are the considerationsA Underfloor heating, both wet and dry, can be installed on most floor constructions, as long as there is enough space to build up the floor, taking into account doors, stairs, etc, and the floor can take the weight. The key to success is to choose the right floor heating system for the construction. For example, on screeded floors, pipes can simply be clipped on top of insulation, then covered with screed, or on a joisted floor a plated system can be used, as long as it is well supported and has no movement. Floating floors are a popular choice for renovation projects, as they have little height buildup. One suitable product is Nu Heats heat diffuser plate, designed to fit into a high density polystyrene base layer, which can be put down on top of the standard insulation layer or existing deck, and tubing simply walked into it. The chipboard or final timber floor deck is laid directly on top of the panels. Floating floors can also be installed in new builds, where there is 5. The insulation required is 7. On suspended timber floors, plate or foil systems can be used, whereby an aluminium heating plate is installed on top of the joist, and below the deck its easiest to do this from below. However, as James Garrod of Continental Underfloor Heating points out Any screeded system will provide a higher Wm. Ensure your contractor or supplier gives you detailed heat loss calculations and CAD designs, and ensure that the product is insured and backed up by manufacture warranties. William Scott Malden at Ebeco says Electric UFH can be used on top of any floor substrate, although we recommend a limit of 1. Wm. 2 on wooden sub floors. There is no limit on concrete. Q What do I need to take into account when determining the type and depth of screed A The first consideration is getting the right amount of pipe work into the floor and in the right areas to provide between 4. Wm. 2 and 5. 5Wm. Too much can overheat the floor, and cause the thermostat to overshoot, whereas too little would mean the system could be running constantly, increasing your heating bills. When it comes to the screed, thicker screeds will take longer to warm up, but will then retain the heat for longer. The minimum British Standard is 6. Such a thickness will take about one hour to heat up and cool down. But as James says Providing that UFH is run correctly allowing the system to monitor and maintain the temperature, the only time youd really notice the difference in warming and cooling times is when youd return from a holiday and the heating has been off for the duration. Liquid screeds density makes it a good heat conductor, maximising heat transfer and enhancing efficiency. This makes it particularly good for use with heat pumps, according to Heather Oliver at Nu Heat, as it maximises the output of the UFH, allowing the heat pump to work at a lower temperature, optimising its efficiency. Something else to look out for, according to Paul Mee of Robbens Systems, is that self levelling screeds can need additional pipe fixings to add rigidity and stop the pipes from lifting. Thinner liquid screeds can also give the end user the feeling of tracks in the floor rather than an even temperature. He also says that, sometimes, additional pipe work needs to be integrated. Q How long does the screed need to dry before flooring is laid on top A Both types of screed generally dry at a rate of one day per millimetre for the first 5. You can turn the UFH on at a low temperature 3. No flooring should be laid until the screed is completely dry, otherwise the floor covering could be ruined over the first few months. Heather Oliver of Nu heat adds If the floor covering is impermeable, the moisture content should be assessed, either with a hygrometer, or by covering an area of the floor with plastic sheeting overnight and seeing if there is condensation under it in the morning. Drying times will be much less with a liquid screed which will be ready in seven days not only because its thinner, but also because it has better drying characteristics, and can be dried using dehumidifiers. Q Is insulation needed beneath the UFH If so, how much A Insulation under your UFH is always recommended. It ensures that as much heat as possible goes upwards, into the house, and as little as possible goes downwards, into the ground. Insulation below the pipes should therefore be much greater than the insulation created by the floor covering. The position of the insulation within the floor structure is important, too. After changes to Building Regulations in 2. But with UFH, more insulation needs to be added above the slab, directly below the pipes, to reduce the mass of material to be heated, improve response times, and reduce downward heat losses. How much more insulation is added depends on how much, if any, insulation is in the slab, and the height allowance of the floor. A rule of thumb is to just use as much as possible. Your UFH supplier will be able to advise on and provide any insulation you need. Edge insulation provides extra coverage by allowing expansion of the screed as it heats, and additional insulation should be used against external walls. Q What flooring is best for UFH Are there any special laying requirementsA The best flooring for any UFH system is solid, such as ceramic tiles, slate, or stone flags, as they have the best thermal conductivity, and will provide the best heat output. But bear in mind that a screeded construction will expand and contract with the heat. In the screed, this is absorbed by an expansion gap and edge insulation, so any tiles fitted on top which may well expand at a different rate to the screed should also be laid with an expansion gap around the perimeter of the room the bigger the room, the bigger the gap should be. This gap can usually be covered by a skirting board. Flexible adhesive and grout must be used, or youll be taking up your tiles again in six months. Suspended timber floors, by their nature, are more prone to movement than screed, but tiles can still be used by covering the joists with a minimum of 1. Once again, youll need to use flexible tile adhesive and grout. Wood flooring also goes fine with UFH, providing that it is less than 2. C. The most suitable type is engineered board, which is made of several layers laminated together, often with the wood grain running in opposite directions in each layer, finished with a thick hardwood surface. As it is an inherently stable material, expansion and contraction will be minimal. Solid timber is also suitable, although narrower boards are recommended as they expand and contract less with atmospheric changes than wide boards. Thin laminate flooring is less suitable, and will need a chipboard or ply sub deck to ensure stability. Good quality laminate floors and engineered boards will probably have their moisture content corrected before lamination, but care should always be taken to acclimatise any timber floor. To avoid excessive movement of the finished floor, the screed, timber flooring and internal construction wall and ceiling plaster must all be moisture free, which may mean leaving boards unpacked in a dry room for several weeks to acclimatise. Despite popular misconceptions, it is perfectly possible to fit carpet over underfloor heating its just a question of choosing the correct combination of carpet and underlay. To get the best performance from your UFH, the combined tog value of the carpet and underlay should not exceed 2. The typical tog value of an 8. Quality manufacturers will have technical information on their products available to customers. Q Should I use an underlay A Both wood flooring and carpet suppliers usually prefer underlay to be fitted with their products, while UFH suppliers will want as little underlay as possible to minimise thermal resistance.
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