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Insulating Roofs in Ireland
Insulating Roofs in Ireland
If you do not have insulation in your roof, up to 30% of your heat could escape, costing you money and contributing to atmospheric pollution and global warming.
Insulating the 50sq.m. attic space of a typical house costs around 400 and could save approximately 130 a year (up to 20% of your fuel bill) so it would pay for itself in about three years. Insulating a flat roof of the same size could cost about 1,000 and will pay for itself in around five years.
As well as saving money, you will be helping to reduce the emmission of carbon dioxide and other environmentally-polluting substances.
There are different types of insulation that you can use in your roofing. Each type of roof insulation has a different insulation value or U-Value, the lower the U-Value, the better the insulating material. Typical insulation in an attic should be more than 20-30cm thick unless you are using more advanced thinner materials. Here are a some of the most common types of insulation that you can purchase at your local DIY store:
Sheep's wool - This type of insulation is made from sheep's wool. Sheep's wool is a very good insulator, but can be more expensive than other insulating materials.
Fibreglass - Fibreglass is made from molten glass spun into microfibers. Its probably the most common used form of roof insulation and can be purchased from most DIY stores.
Rock Wool - Rock wool is made from molten rock instead of glass.
Cellulose - made from shredded recycled paper. This is not as common but it is a great insulator.
Eco insulation - this can be made from a range of recycled materials, such as plastic bottles or paper.
Reflective foil thin insulation - this type of insulation is thinner than regular insulation, it has many layers of foil with fibrous material in between.
Can You Do It Yourself?
Pitched roof with an attic space - The majority of Irish houses have a pitched roof, which is the easiest type to insulate and with a little care and guidance can be insulated by yourself.
Attic room - attic conversions are more complicated as the roof structure has to be insulated, so the appointment of a building contractor is advised.
Flat roof - The insulation of new and existing flat roofs should be carried out by a roofing contractor.
Choosing Insulation
Insulation is available from builders' providers, DIY and hardware stores and specialist contractors.
Buy insulation from a reputable supplier who can help you choose the most suitable insulation for your roof type. If using glass or mineral fibre wool insulation, specify a minimum thickness of 100mm between joists and 150mm across joists. To find out how much insulation you need, check the measurements between the joists, their length and the number of joist spaces in your attic.
If installing the insulation yourself, check if special precautions should be taken when handling the material.
Precautions
It is essential to cross-ventilate the attic space to prevent condensation by leaving a continuous air gap along the eaves at each side.
In attic room conversions, it is essential to ventilate the roof structure between the insulation and the roofing felt with continuous air gaps along the eaves and at the ridge. Special ventilation tiles are available for ridge ventilation.
Don't bury electric gables under the insulation. Leave cables clear and avoid compressing. Keep plastic-insulated cables away from polystyrene insulation.
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