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INSULATION FAQ
What are some of the key benefits of efficient home insulation?
- It will save you money on your electricity and heating bills
- Your home will be more comfortable and cosy
- You will be reducing your carbon footprint and helping to battle climate change
What are the main areas where I can install or improve home insulation?
- Your walls – where up to 30% of heat is lost
- Your roof/attic – where up to 35% of heat is lost
- Your floors – where up to 10% of heat is lost
How much money can I save?
- Adequate attic insulation in a typical home can save approximately €140 per year
- Adequate wall insulation in the same home will save between €100 and €160 per year
- Adequate floor insulation can save up to €100 per year
How much does insulation cost?
This depends on the exact specifics of your home, so please contact us for a detailed quote. The good news however is that it is more affordable than you may think, thanks to grants available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme. ALL homes built prior to 2006 are eligible for these grants.
What is a BER rating?
A Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate is an indication of the energy performance of a home. A BER certificate is accompanied by an Advisory Report which identifies how you might improve the energy performance of your home.
BER is the calculated energy use for space and hot water heating, ventilation and lighting based on standard occupancy. A BER is similar to the energy label for a household electrical appliance like your fridge. The label has a scale of A-G. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient and will tend to have the lowest energy bills.
A BER is compulsory for all homes offered for sale or rent. A BER is also required before a new home is occupied for the first time.
How does improved insulation affect my BER?
New or improved insulation will see your BER improve – i.e. your home will move closer to a coveted ‘A’ rating, and its value will increase. Note however that according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, fewer than 10% of even new homes achieve an ‘A’ rating. However, some 80% of new homes have a ‘B’ rating, with the remainder scoring a ‘C’ or less. Achieving a ‘B’ rating in an older home should be the desired result.
How do I measure my BER?
A qualified BER assessor must carry out a study on your home. He/she will issue a BER, and also provide you with an advisory report containing further recommendations. To see a sample advisory report, click the link below.
What is a U-value?
A U-value is a measure of the rate at which heat is lost through a wall, for instance. As it is a measure of heat loss, then the lower the U-value, the better.
Maximum Average Elemental U-Vales (W/m2K)
How do I install or improve my attic insulation?
The easiest way is through laying insulation material such as fibreglass rolls or rockwool quilts. We at Donegal Town Hardware carry a large range of these materials from all major suppliers. For detailed advice on laying attic insulation, see our ‘How To’ guide.
How do I install or improve my cavity wall insulation?
Cavity wall insulation is a task best carried out at the time of construction of your home. If you are currently building a new home, then we have a range of wall insulation materials to suit all your needs. Retro-fitting to an older home is a specialist job for which you should contact a professional insulation company.
How do I install or improve my floor insulation?
Similarly, floor insulation is also best carried out at time of home construction, and we have a range of the materials necessary to do so.
Why come to Donegal Town Hardware for my insulation needs?
We have many years of experience in dealing with both retro-fitting existing homes and insulating new builds. We can advise on and provide the materials for all of your insulation needs.
We deal with all major insulation suppliers like Kingspan, Quinntherm, Knauf, Rockwool and Superquilt, who have a wide range of thicknesses, lengths and specifications for all kinds of house design and specified BER ratings.
We are experts in the field and can liaise with the insulation providers to have calculations done to establish the requirements of any given property to achieve a specific BER rating. What sets us apart is the step-by-step advice and product and installation information that you only get with a hardware store and team which prides itself on delivering the best for its customers.
Just contact us or call into us at the Donegal Town Business Park at Drumrooske to start the process of properly insulating your home today.
