Are You Insulated?

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(2) Draft-proofing
It is quite common for a house to have anything from 1 to 3 square feet of air leaks-that's when you add up all the gaps around doors, windows, service entry points, and the possible hidden airways up through the middle of your house that you may not know about. These unwanted drafts will vary according to many factors, such as how well you secure your windows or doors. The problem is that wherever they occur, they are continuous throughout every winter day and night. Just think how concerned we are about a leaking tap, yet heat leaks are far more costly. Lack of draught-proofing can account for 10 to 30 percent of your energy expenditure, and it is of little use insulating; without paving attention l it. However, to prevent creating an oversealed environment, it should be carried out in conjunction with increased attention to ventilation.

(3) Ventilation
Ventilation has several important functions: to supply fresh, unpolluted air for inhabitants; to exhaust water vapor and pollutants; to both provide the necessary oxygen for combustion and to vent the products of it. Finally, it is important to the preservation of many materials, particularly timber and timber products, ensuring they arc sufficiently aired to keep their moisture content controlled. This means that not only should you make provisions for controlled ventilation of the interior of a house, but also, where necessary, the ventilation within the roof, wall, and floor construction. In most cases your house has been designed to allow tier this ventilation. Condensation is a sure sign that there is either insufficient ventilation or insulation. If you notice any condensation after you have insulated, track down the likely ventilation problem, and provide the necessary air flow only where you need it, using mechanical extract fans in bathrooms and kitchens, vents or ducted air to any combustion with a controlled flue, trickle vents at windows, and proprietary vents in clapboard, tiles. eaves and underfloor brickwork.

The Roof

Is your rue,( space empty with bare rafters and ceiling joists or is it habitable and already lined? Depending on your particular situation, you need to choose the headings below that apply to you.

Unlined or Uninhabitable Attics

Unlined attics can very easily be insulated by simply pouring a loose fill insulation material, such as cellulose fiber, between the joists and leveling off to whatever depth of insulation you decide is practical. (See illustration below.). Here is often the only place where it is possible to superinsulate and lay as much depth as desired. People have laid as much as two feet of cellulose fibers in an open roof space, but depending on how long and cold your winters are, between 6"and 18" should be ample. Follow the simple rule of laying what fits and only what you can afford.

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