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Why should I consider external wall insulation?
Perhaps you have installed cavity wall insulation but are looking for a bigger impact, or maybe you live in a solid walled property. We recommend external wall insulation for a number of reasons;
- Save energy and therefore save money on bills
- Improves the external appearance of home
- Improves the acoustics within your home – sound proofing
- Takes up no internal floor space
- Keeps home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer (many people report that their houses stay so warm that they hardly need to turn the heating on)
- Prevents damp and condensation
- Prolongs the life of your building – protects against extremes of weather
- Can increase the value of your property in terms of external appearance and Energy Performance Certificate Rating
- Low maintenance and long lasting
A quick run through of the main stages of installation:
First, the wall is prepared to make sure the insulation system will stick. It should be possible to install our insulation system on top of existing render or pebbledash, but at this point a substrate check will need to be done. Next, the surface is primed and this needs to set for 24 hours. A starter track is attached to the wall above the damp proof course to support the insulation boards. They are then attached with adhesive and double-fixed with mechanical fixings. Fibreglass mesh is used to reinforce the system and then the wall is rendered and a topcoat applied. Each part of the system is designed to minimise cold bridging and maximise efficiency.
Can I choose the materials?
All the steps work together to create an effective, attractive and long-lasting system. It’s a customisable system – the householder can choose between three insulation materials: mineral wool, expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS) boards. Mineral wool is durable, breathable and highly fire retardant. Polystyrene insulation is cheap and a fantastic insulator, so a thinner layer can be added to achieve the same results as a larger amount of mineral wool.
There is also a choice of render, tailored to different environments, as well as options for the final colour and texture of the walls.
How much does external wall insulation cost?
Fill in our calculator to find out approximate costs of materials or give us a call and we can put you in touch with one of our approved installers who will be able to carry out the work for you to the highest standard. All our installers are given full training and we offer a free aftercare service for customers.
I need to render my old property anyway, so it makes sense to do insulate the house at the same time I guess, my question is can you change windows out after you have installed this system?
Hi DaveOmell, we would always recommend changing the windows before carrying out the rest of the solid wall insulation works, mainly because if you do it at this stage, the seal around the windows and the system will be better. Normally if you let the window company know you are planning on carrying out these works they can provide you with windows with pre-extended sills, then the additional depth of the insulation won’t be a problem – the new window sills will still come past the outer edge of the wall.
We are interested in insulating our walls as our house gets very cold. How much insulation do you recommend. Also is the insulation you recommend fire proof?
Hi Gretta, insulating your external walls with our external wall insulation is a great idea to improve the thermal comfort of the home. Your home will definitely stay warmer in the winter, but it actually depends on the depth of the insulation you actually end up going for. On the whole, the thicker the insulation the warmer you will be and the less your heating will need to be on, but also thicker insulation costs a little bit more and also if you go really thick you begin to inhibit light entering the house. We recommend 90mmm if you go for EPS and 120mm if you go for mineral wool insulation. Mineral wool insulation is completely non-combustible, it is made from rock! EPS is flame retardent rather than fire proof, but in the event of a fire, the insulation would melt within its cement enclosure (which is part and parcel of our external wall insulation systems)! They are not to be confused with rainscreen cladding which is a very different product!
can i do this myself?
Hi Lewis, I suggest attending one of our training days to learn more about the system, however many plasterers do try to do this themselves and they get on fine!