ABOUT ROOF INSULATION

The principle of roof insulation is to apply a material which will inhibit the movement of heated air. The most common type is a fibre mat, which may be made of glass wool or mineral wool. An alternative is vermiculite granules, which are tipped between rafters from bags, or may be blown into less accessible spaces.

Fibre mat for roof insulation is available in thicknesses of between four and eight inches. Eight inches is now recommended as the UK standard. The roof insulation may be applied to the loft floor, or to the underside of the roof. In each case it may be laid between the timbers (joists or rafters) or over them. In order to achieve the required thickness, it may be necessary to increase the width of the joists or rafters.

The same depth is needed for roof insulation using vermiculite granules, and again the width of joists may need to be increased to provide sufficient depth.

LEADING UK SUPPLIERS OF ROOF INSULATION

Knauf Roof Insulation. Knauf is a leading supplier of glass mineral wool and rock mineral wool for roof insulation. It was formerly known as Pilkington Insulation, and is now part of the Knauf group. The Knauf Insulation website has sections on roof insulation products, solutions, and design. Literature may be downloaded. The main products supplied by Knauf Insulation are Crown Glass Mineral Wool, Rocksilk Rock Mineral Wool, Knauf Breatheline, Fire Protection, Polyfoam, and Multi-Foils. Knauf Breatheline is a flexible sheet, used as an underlay to roof insulation in ventilated pitched roofs. It is permeable to vapour. Polyfoam is a rigid insulation material made by extruding polystyrene.

Rockwarm Roof Insulation. Rockwarm is an independent company supplying roof insulation and cavity wall insulation throughout the Midlands. Over the last 18 years it has insulated more than 90,000 properties. The website contains information on grants offered for loft insulation by energy companies, including EDF Energy, Powergen, and Scottish Power. These grants are offered because recent Government iniatives have stipulated that the major UK utility companies must put money into addressing energy efficiency issues. Rockwarm will apply for these grants on the customer's behalf.

Isover Roof Insulation. Isover is a supplier of glass wool for roof insualtion. It is a subsidiary company of the Saint Gobain group, which is one of the world's leading manufacturers of mineral roof insulation. The raw material of Isover roof insulation is natural sand, although an increasing proportion of re-cycled glass is now used as a raw material; this may come from flat glass, car glass, and bottles. Re-cycled material can now amount to more than 80% of a batch.

USEFUL LINKS RELEVANT TO ROOF INSULATION

Association for the Conservation of Energy

Building Regulations Part L: Conservation of Fuel & Power

Carbon Trust

Diydata advice on choice and installation of loft insulation

Energy Saving Trust

National Association of Loft Insulation Contractors

Thermal Insulation Manufacturers & Suppliers Association

DETAILED INFORMATION RESOURCES ON ROOF INSULATION

We recommend the following websites, with building product information including manufacturers' specs, standard specifications, and CAD details: Barbour Compendium, RIBA Product Selector Plus, ASC Bricsnet, Building Products Index, British Board of Agrément, British Standards Online.

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