Professional Building Conservator
Building Insulation
With the increase in energy prices, it is becoming increasingly important to insulate traditional houses.
Typical areas where heat can be lost in a house.
Insulating a building starts with finding the cold areas; normally, this takes place after damp issues have been rectified. There are several areas that I deal with that are usually cold; these are bay windows, windows, and single-skin walls. Single-skin walls can be insulated with insulating lime plaster; this will allow the walls to breathe as well as insulating the wall. The result looks exactly the same as the original, with the benefit of insulating plaster.
Other methods include making custom-designed furniture with built-in insulation. Windows can be insulated in several ways: the minimum is a furry strip; the next level is double glazing, which is possible with sash windows; and the highest level of insulation is secondary glazing. Bay windows can have a window seat designed to reduce the loss of heat or bookcases with built-in insulation. Floors can be insulated between the joists with 100mm of Celotex insulation.
How much air can move into a house with a pressure of 50Pa (Wood, Bordass, and Baker, 2009, p. 5).
The above chart shows the huge energy-saving potential of window restoration. The improvements can be as simple as an insulating strip around the window, double-glazing existing windows, or secondary glazing.
A restored frame with pile carriers on the left and right-hand sides. When installed, they are invaluable.
Pictured left is an unrestored window frame with single glazing. Pictured right is the restored frame with double glazing that replaced the former frame. This can be done to double hung sash windows as well.
This window was made with secondary glazing. A window seal and a very soft silicone rubber insulating strip were added to reduce drafts.
Pictured left is the soft silicone rubber used in the insulation of casement windows, front doors, and back doors. I always shape the moulding to suit the frame. The pictured rubber was used for a window and only one side of the moulding will be seen.