Recently several articles have been published describing things you can do to keep warm in winter. At first glance is easy to be impressed by these astute people who figure out ways to keep warm that don’t involve turning their heating up excessively. One, they are saving money on their energy bills, and two, they are supporting the environment by reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
So Why is the House Still Cold?
But on closer analysis, it seems like these people are missing the point altogether. If they are in fact heating their house, then why is it still cold? If they have actually sealed all the gaps, left the oven door open after cooking, opened the curtains to let in the natural sunlight and closed them after sun down, then why the need for flannel sheets, hot water bottles and woollen socks? It doesn’t make sense.
Old Insulation Can Lose Performance R-Value Over Time
Heat energy doesn’t disappear, it is transferred. And if nothing is there to stop it, it will quite literally travel through the roof. So it sounds like the homes these people are living in are not insulated. Or if they are, the layers of insulation probably aren’t thick enough for their climate zones. Or perhaps they were adequately insulated once upon a time, but the insulation material has moved, settled or become damp over time, losing most of what is referred to as R-value.
Installing Home Insulation – the Real Solution
If your home doesn’t have adequate insulation, then you will constantly be striving to heat up your house, trying to stay warm and the problem will never be fully resolved. However, getting to the core of the matter and installing a sufficient level of insulation correctly (this level will vary depending on the climate in your area) reduces the need for all these special modifications. You will simply turn your thermostat to the desired temperature, confident that the heat you are paying for is staying within the four walls of your house.
Pink Batts Ceiling Insulation Retrofit
Heat is also lost through the walls of the house, but in reality, it is often impractical to install insulation in existing walls. Walls have to be opened up, insulated and then replastered and painted. As such, wall insulation is best installed at the time of construction, so home owners are encouraged to consider carefully how well they will insulate the walls. Ceiling insulation, on the other hand, can in most cases be installed at any time, as access can usually be gained through the manhole. Pink Batts manufactures good quality ceiling insulation in a range of R-values. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation will be at resisting heat transfer. Consequently, the higher the r-value, the more comfortable you will be and the higher your energy savings will be.
Pricewise Insulation offers free delivery all over New Zealand for Pink Batts insulation orders. Minimum quantities apply.