Tackling the chronic problem of cold bridging
Coat, hat, scarf and gloves. This is what most of us wear when it’s cold outside. Insulating our homes is much the same. If we install external wall insulation, it’s like putting on a warm coat. But without the hat, scarf and gloves, heat escapes where we have gaps. And you’d be surprised just how much heat is lost, costing energy and money.
The problem is called cold bridging. It’s a chronic issue that affects many thousands of old houses in the UK. It’s especially critical for local authorities which may have installed inadequate external wall all insulation on old housing stock.It’s a shocking fact that Britain has some of the coldest and dampest housing stock in western Europe, making this a serious issue for the Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.Of course, heat loss, whether to a home or business, can contribute considerably to fuel bills.
InstaGroup is one of the UK’s leading specialists in energy efficiency solutions.One of the company’s major drives in 2016 is dealing with a range of issues causing heat loss.Managing Director David Robson is proud of the advances being made by the InstaGroup team. ‘We see ourselves as innovators in the field of energy efficiency. Our team works tirelessly to provide new and affordable solutions to issues like cold bridging, ensuring that buildings are future proofed with products that are patented and BBA accredited.‘It’s important to have the right insulation system for your home or business to optimise fully the benefit from your investment.If heat is being lost, so too is your money on fuel bills.’Terry Evans, Technical Director at InstaGroup, says the issue of solving cold bridging was challenging. Nevertheless, it’s one to which the company rose with considerable effort and skill. The problem areas or‘gaps’ are at junctions of walls, floors, guttering, roofs, behind pipes, and window and door reveals.In place of the hat, scarf and gloves, we substitute a range of ‘Thermo’ products: ThermoBead (window and door reveals)and ThermoFlash (wall and roof junctions)and ThermoPro (behind gate posts & soil pipes, eaves and guttering), plus ThermoTrac (Below DPC) combined with Aerogel insulation that are used to tackle these critical heat loss junctions.
To be effective, these solutions need to be part of a total install package. Retro fitting cold bridging products on previous external wall installations is not something we recommend.Terry Evans adds, ‘We are now in the position to provide unique products to tackle all these critical areas and therefore future proof the insulation upgrade and fabric of the building. ‘We have experience and expertise in dealing with complex issues of space and in providing building specific cost effective solutions.’For InstaGroup and its network of suppliers,The Snug Network, the challenge is simple –to deliver the highest standards possible.‘Our customers can always rely on us to recommend solutions that are best suited to their property and energy needs,’ says David Robson.
