How to isolate your home

To avoid heat loss, it is important to insulate your home point by point.

The priority is the roof, because the hot air rises and escapes through the roof.

It is the biggest source of heat loss. If you have attic that cannot be converted, you can opt for insulation in rolls. Its handling is easy and not difficult: it is enough to unroll and cut the roll on the desired zone. There are different materials, glass wool, cellulose wadding, cork, etc … Each with different levels of thermal performance, it is essential to be accompanied with a professional who will consider the architecture of your home and of the surrounding climate for the material choice.

Its thickness determines its level of thermal resistance. However, to reach the recommended level of insulation (R = 7), the thickness of the wool must be at least 30 cm. It is possible to superimpose layers in order to optimize insulation and avoid thermal bridging. If your attic can be converted, to preserve the living space, we recommend that you cover the insulation with a finishing layer (wood, plasterboard).

Another much more expensive technique is to remove the tiles to insulate the roof from the outside before replacing them. This method is to be preferred for lost and inaccessible attics.

Then, walls are the most important source of heat loss.

The most effective solution is to surround the walls with insulating materials to prevent cold from entering the wall. But it is unfortunate to hide the beautiful stone facades with an insulation covered with plaster or wood and it can be very expensive.

The most common technique is to double the walls with insulation. But they then gain ten to fifteen centimeters thick, which reduces the area of ​​the room. Insulation from the inside, however, requires some plumbing and electrical adjustments. Electric switches, for example, must be rested on the doubled wall.

Floor is not a major source of heat loss, but it is mostly the sensation of cold feeling that encourages homeowners to look at its insulation.

During the construction of a dwelling, it is recommended to install insulation boards from the ceiling to the basement. In case of renovation, the only solution is to break the existing floor or tile to install the insulation before remaking a screed and install a new coating.

Finally, obviously, all the openings of your home are many areas of heat loss. The minimum is to install double glazing and choose quality materials that guarantee good thermal performance. For your front door, make sure it is insulative enough. It is the coefficient Ud that gives this indication, if it is less than or equal to 1.4 W / m².k., The door is well insulating. Above 1.8 W / m².k. the cold comes in more easily and you will feel it on your heating bills. Also think of the non-open shutters, which can provide extra insulation during the night.

Our last tip to get good insulation, watch the quality of the materials offered.

Some indicators help you:

• The lambda coefficient of thermal conductivity indicates the ability of the insulation to conduct heat. The higher this coefficient, the more insulating material. Current products have a coefficient of between 0.025 and 0.05 W / m.K.
• The thermal resistance R expresses the performance of the insulation. The higher the R, the better the insulation.