Attic & Wall Insulation Explained With CKF Interior & Insulation

Discover the benefits of home insulation! Learn about attic and wall insulation techniques explained by member Charlie Kocsis, Director at CKF Interior & Insulation. Get expert advice and insights here.

Insulation is the process of preventing the warmth of your home from escaping. The many benefits of a properly insulated home include a reduction in energy bills, a smaller carbon footprint and improved air quality - just to name a few.

Read how home insulation can improve your life here.

This month we get attic and wall insulation explained by member Charlie Kocsis, Director, CKF Interior and Insulation.

Onlinetradesmen (OLT): Where should homeowners start when deciding to insulate their homes?

Charlie: As a quarter of heat loss occurs through the roof and as much as a third of heat is lost through a home’s walls, these are the two areas of the home where the biggest difference can be made to both household heating bills and comfort.

That being said, the cost of wall insulation is more expensive than a roof insulation project so many homeowners opt to insulate the attic first as a quick start to preventing heat loss.

OLT: What are the options for attic or flat roof insulation?

Charlie: Insulation options include warm roof or cold roof insulation techniques.

A warm roof is when the insulation is installed above and between the rafters and under a weatherproof membrane. This type of insulation is a breathable roof construction that will allow moisture to escape.

A warm roof can be applied to both a flat or pitched roof and delivers high thermal performance (reduced heat loss). Fixing a warm roof is a good option for pitched roof new builds or when a detached home needs to be re-roofed. However, a warm roof install does increase a building's height, which can be a problem for some property types and locations.

A cold roof is most the common and cheapest insulation solution that is applied to existing pitched structures as part of a loft conversion or when insulation cannot be installed above the rafters.

A cold roof involves insulating between the joists and rafters and may involve either semi-rigid insulation boards or glass/mineral fibre or mineral wool insulation. All these options are effective to trap heat however, the effectiveness of a particular type of material will depend on the depth of joist or rafters, electrics, heating systems as well as accessibility within the space.

OLT: What are the options for home wall insulation?

Charlie: The reduction of heat loss and the opportunity for energy savings is significant when it comes to home wall insulation.

Ways to insulate the walls of a home include:

• External wall insulation or a full house wrap, which involves fixing Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation to the exterior wall of the home followed by a basecoat, fibreglass mesh and rendered with an acrylic render finish. External wall insulation is most suitable for cavity wall or solid wall constructions
• Cavity wall insulation is when walls are injected with insulating foam products from the outside.
• Internal wall insulation, also known as dry lining, involves fixing plasterboard insulation to the internal walls of the home and applying a vapour barrier layer.

If your walls are solid and unsuitable for cavity wall insulation, then external or internal wall insulation is your best option.

It's worth to highlight that internal wall insulation is a disruptive process and will reduce your floor area, while external wall insulation can be more expensive, especially if your home has many windows and external fixtures and fittings to work around.

OLT: What are the costs when getting a house insulated?

Charlie: Depending on the material used, cold roof insulation costs between €25 - €30 sqm, so expect to spend €450 - €500 ex VAT for a three-bed semi-detached house.

A warm roof install for a 550 sq ft flat roof starts around €1000, whereas a warm roof install for a pitched roof starts around €7000

Pricing for an external wall installation or a full house wrap starts at €125 sqm ex VAT, while full house internal wall installation starts at €90 sqm ex VAT.

There are insulation Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) grants also available to property owners to offset costs for attic and wall insulation.

For example, up to €4,000 could be claimed back on a €10,000 insulation project via the grant scheme. However, the grant needs to be pre-approved before work starts, the property must pass a minimum Building Energy Rating (BER) following completion, and work carried out by a qualified and SEAI-approved agent to receive the money back.

CKF Interiors And Insulation are NSAI and SEAl-approved specialists in all domestic developments such as House Extension, External Insulation, and Attic Insulation.

Charlie and his team at CKF also offer advice on improvements, development, government grants, legislation and any technical questions you might have during the process of your project.

Click here to view CKF ratings and reviews. For further help and advice, you can call Charlie directly on 087 655 7539 or post an insulation job via Onlinetradesmen to find qualified trade professionals near you.

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