If you do not have insulation in your roof,up to 30% of your heat could escape, costing you money and contributing to atmospheric pollution and global warming. If you have already insulated your roof, you may want to replace it or add another layer to improve its performance and bring it up to current Building Regulations Standards.
There are three main types of roof that require insulation. The majority of Irish houses have a pitched roof, which is the easiest type to insulate. Generally it can be insulated in two ways:
When converting your attic into a room, insulation is placed in
between the rafters and joists. The insulation can be semi-rigid
insulation boards such as expanded polystyrene board, extruded
polystyrene board, glass fibre batts, mineral fibre batts, urethane
foam board or phenolic foam boards. If a first layer of insulation is
placed between rafters, a second, thin layer applied to the underside
of the rafters avoids thermal bridging.
Last type of roof construction is a flat roof. The type of insulation
used in flat roofs is dependent on the roof structure. On a concrete
slab, with a screed, semi-rigid
insulation boards such as expanded
polystyrene board, extruded polystyrene board, glass fibre batts,
mineral fibre batts, urethane foam board or phenolic foam board are
laid under the roof covering. In a timber structure, glass fibre quilt
and mineral fibre quilt can be laid between the joists. Insulation can
be also increased externally with extruded polystyrene or foamed glass,
or internally with an insulated lining board such as mineral fibre or
polyurethane foambacked plaster-board.