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
