Home Insulation

There are multiple ways to insulate your home to reduce heat loss, with different types of insulation available for walls, the attic, or underfloor. Depending on where a person is insulating they will also have different types of solid or liquid insulating materials.

Attic Insulation is perhaps the easiest and most effective way to insulate your home and drastically cut down on the amount of heat being lost. Up to 30% of your home’s heat can be lost through the roof, making this the biggest individual target for someone looking to save money.

Attic Insulation tackles two main areas, the floor of the attic where the roof of the rooms below are, and the rafter of the building’s roof.

Insulation for the floor of the attic will typically consist of rolls of wool materials laid down in the gaps between the joists, or blown cellulose which can be used to get into small hard-to-reach spaces.

For insulating the spaces between the rafters it is common to use a spray foam or blown cellulose insulation. Boards of rigid Polystyrene can also be affixed between joists and rafters.

What type of insulation is best for your attic will depend on its design and layout, and the result the homeowner wishes to achieve.

Cavity Wall Insulation involves insulation installed into the cavity between the inner and outer walls. Doing so prevents air from circulating in the cavity, and drawing heat out of your home. There are different types of cavity insulation, and which is of use to you will largely depend on the nature of the project and the budget.

Solid polystyrene cavity insulation blocks can be inserted into the gap between walls as long as the space is regular. This is more common in new builds, as doing so for any existing property would involve extensive construction work to remove one side of the wall to expose the cavity.

For retrofit projects, it is more common to use a bonded bead or spray foam insulation. Holes are drilled into the wall at intervals and the insulation is injected into the cavity at high pressure.

External Wall Insulation, also known as a Wrap, consists of multiple layers of material, with the insulation boards attached directly to the walls of the house, and other layers on top of that which will provide protection against the weather and an aesthetically attractive finish.

External insulation is more common with older people which might not be suited for cavity insulation. On top of its insulating effects, it provides a facelift to the appearance of the house and helps protect against weather.

As the wrap goes on the exterior walls of the house, it is easier to cover much of the building and does not affect the size of the internal space.

Internal insulation, also known as dry lining, works much the same way as external insulation. Rigid boards of insulation are fixed to the internal walls of the house and covered with plasterboard or another finishing material.

This will make rooms warmer and cosier, but will also reduce the internal space of the room. In the case of rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom with many fixtures, it will also require extensive refitting.

It is also possible to install insulation beneath the ground floor of a house depending on the design of the floor. In a suspended timber floor it can often be possible to install rigid insulation boards between the floor joists.

The type of insulation which will be used in your home depends on the area of the house which is being worked on, and can also depend on how much you are willing to spend on the quality of materials.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland provides grant funding for many types of energy efficiency improvements to homes.

Speak with Energy Efficiency to find out how much you can save with Home insulation grant funding.

The One Stop Shop Service is an SEAI service for homeowners who want to have multiple property upgrades carried out in one large retrofit. This takes more of the work out of the property owner’s hands and sets a specific target of a BER of B2 or better upon completion.

The One Stop Shop also offers a wider array of grants, including for insulation. On top of all those listed above, it also contains grants for rafters and floor insulation.

Many of these grant values can be higher if an Approved Housing Body is the one applying.

Some homeowners on low income may also qualify for energy efficiency improvements to their homes which are fully funded by the government.

The cost of retrofitting a home with new insulation can vary wildly depending on the size of the property, what areas are being insulated, and what insulation materials are being used. The price must factor in the material used and the labour costs of having it installed. Labour costs are hard to price without having your home assessed. 

When looking at the cost of insulation the main factors to keep in mind are:

Speak with a member of our team and determine the type of insulation that best suits your home.

For Rolled Wool insulation the cost will depend on the area being covered, the density of the wool material, and how many layers of insulation are being put down in the attic.

Rigid Polystyrene boards of insulation will also vary in cost depending on the thickness of the boards being chosen, as well as the total area being covered.

Spray Foam insulation is often the most costly option, though increasingly favoured for its excellent thermal, noise, and damp insulation. Its price relies on how deep a layer of insulation is being set down, along with the area to be covered.

Some approximate costs of common insulation materials per square metre are:

Prices can vary greatly. Cavity wall insulation might cost roughly €1,000 for a four-bed detached house using bonded bead insulation, while a three-bed semi-detached home pays roughly €2,000 for using pumped foam insulation. 

It is important to consult with a builder about what materials will best suit your needs and goals with this retrofit project.

Get in touch to hear more about how Home Insulation can improve your home life today. Speak with the experts to get a recommendation and quote on what home improvements will suit you best.