Question 1

1. What is a thermal insulation?

Accepted Answer

Thermal insulation refers to any product that’s used to reduce heat transfer from one area of a building to another. For example, between the inside of a house and the outside. This is useful in both cold and hot weather, preventing heat escaping from the building during winter, as well as keeping heat out in the summer.

Aside from comfort, thermal insulation can also save occupants money on heating and air conditioning. It makes buildings easier and quicker to heat and cool, improving energy efficiency. For this reason, efficient insulation is also important on sustainable builds.

Question 2

2. What are the building regs for thermal insulation in construction?

Accepted Answer

The building regulations for thermal insulation are different depending on which part of the UK your project is in. If you're working on a new or existing building in England, Approved Document L: Conservation of Fuel and Power contains the energy performance standards that you need to follow. Wales has its own version of Approved Document L, and the Scottish standards are in Section 6 of the Building standards technical handbook.

Question 3

3. What’s thermal conductivity for insulation materials?

Accepted Answer

The ‘thermal conductivity’ of a material is a measure of how easily heat can travel through it by conduction. This figure is often called the lambda value of the material. As a rule, the lower the thermal conductivity figure, the better the performance.

However, thermal conductivity isn’t all that’s needed for a product to be a good thermal insulator. Other factors like thermal resistance, density and heat capacity should also be taken into account.

You can find a quick guide to the properties of different thermal insulation building materials here on GreenSpec.

Compare thermal insulation materials

Soudal Genius Gun Gap Filling Expanding Foam 750ml

100mm Rockwool Thermal Insulation Cavity Batt 1200mm X 455mm (3.28m²)

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 120mm

Superfoil Shed Insulation Kit (21m2)

Jablite Claymaster 2400x1200 50mm

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 50mm

100mm IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm X 1200mm

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 90mm

Rockwool RW3 100mm (4No 600x1200mm Slabs) 2.88m2 Pack

Thermal EPS Plasterboard Tapered Edge 2400x1200mm x 40mm

Jabfloor 70 Floor Insulation 2400x1200x75mm

1200mm X 10m Superfoil SF19+ Multi Foil Insulation

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 150mm

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 25mm

Jablite Jabfloor 70 Polystyrene Insulation 2400mm x 1200mm x 50mm

Soudal B1 Fire & Acoustic Expanding Foam - Gun Grade 750ml

Xtratherm Thin-r XT/TL Thermal Liner 2400x1200x62.5mm

Thermal EPS Plasterboard Tapered Edge 2400x1200x50mm

Knauf Insulation Frametherm 32 140mm

Knauf Insulation Dritherm 32 Cavity Slab 100mm

100mm Rockwool Flexi 1200mm X 600mm (4.32m²)

Ecotherm Eco-versal Insulation 2400mm x 1200mm x 25mm

Knauf Insulation Rocksilk Flexible Slab 100mm

Ecotherm Eco-versal Insulation 2400mm x 1200mm x 150mm

1200mm X 10m Superfoil SF19BB Breathable Multi Foil Insulation

Recticel Eurothane GP Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 90mm

IKO Enertherm ALU PIR Insulation Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 40mm

Kingspan TR27 Thermaroof Roof Insulation Board 1.2 x 1.2m x 120mm

1200mm x 10m x 30mm SuperFoil SF6 Multi Layer Foil Insulation

Knauf Insulation FrameTherm Roll 35 6000mm x 1140mm x 90mm

Knauf Insulation FrameTherm Roll 32 4500mm x 1140mm x 90mm

Unilin 90mm x 450mm x 1200mm Cavity Wall Square Edge Thin-R Insulation

Rockwool Thermal Insulation Loft Roll 2750X1200mm X 100mm (PK2) 6.6M2

Unilin Thin-R Cavity Wall Insulation PIR Board 1200 x 450 x 100mm

Ecotherm Eco-Versal Pitched Roof Board 2400mm x 1200mm x 50mm

Abfoam F Sheet + SAB Light Grey 2 x 1.2m 50mm

Knauf Earthwool Dritherm 37 Standard Light Duty Cavity Slab 50mm 6.55m2

Knauf Insulation Frametherm 35 140mm

Knauf Insulation Omnifit Roll 150mm

Xtratherm Cavity Wall Board 1200x450x75mm