Day 4 & 5 – Installing Insulation is getting a bit boring
Written by admin on October 11, 2009 – 6:37 am
Sorry – this is a bit boring ! Insulation, Insulation Insulation!
Celotex is 1.2m long and if the space is larger then 2 pieces are required. This clip show you how we did it.
Just embarking on a similar project to yours, thank you for sharing. I’m interested in how you came to select celotex for insulation. Does it have green credentials in terms of its manufacturing process? Are there other alternatives that you rejected, and if so what were they & why were they rejected?
Thanks
P.
In previous work I have done on the house I have used thermafleece which is expensive and is also less thermally efficient as compared to celotex . I rejected Phenolic boards (eventhough that is even more efficient than this PIR product) because of its tendency to dissolve in water. We will be using substantial amount of insulation on the outside of the house and hence costs mount. Not being an expert, I also consulted a local Sustainable Architect who advise it was a good product to go for. Page 7 of the Celotex Handy Guide states (note, its marketing blurb so read carefully) :-
Celotex is one of the oil based insulation materials and it is best to use up as much oil as possible in a product that will save energy and be sequestered for the one to two hundred years life of a building rather than burning it in a vehicle engine.
Few other materials have the same insulation value as PIR foam or the structural strength. In a situation where there are limits to the increase in domensions, such as this, a PIR foam can be essential.
The mass insulation required in this country to achieve the 80% reduction by 2050 that the government has signed up to means that there wouldn’t be enough natural materials available to do the job. As Rob wanted to show everyone how to do the job, I specified Celotex and Rockwool materials. We have used Rockwool as its density is half again that of fibreglass making its insulation value is better. Most fibreglass products are too light and allow air movement through the fibres, losing insulation value.
There are many natural insulation materials available and, in their place, they are very useful and good quality. But in high insulation retrofit situations there are often better materials. I have used 450mm of sheep fleece to insulate my own house and an using straw on the walls, for instance, but these thicknesses have been planned in from new.