The importance of insulation and airtightness for an energy-efficient home

When creating an energy-efficient home, the importance of insulation and airtightness in a building cannot be overstated. These are key components of a fabric-first approach to building. By keeping more of the generated heat within the building, the lower the energy bills will be, fewer carbon emissions are released and the more stable and comfortable the home is to live in – win-win-win.

Insulation, installed in the roof, walls and floor, reduces the amount of heat that is lost from a building. This results in lower energy bills, lower carbon emissions, and a more stable temperature. This makes it easy to understand why building regulations continue to increase the levels of insulation required. Furthermore, with the payback period often only a few years, insulation is one of the best investments you can make for your property. However, the effectiveness of insulation is massively reduced by poor airtightness.

Airtightness is the level of air leakage in a building – the uncontrolled and unintentional movement of air into and out of a building. The average UK home has air leakage roughly the size of an A4 page with ~15% of the total heat produced being lost through drafts.

Airtightness is aimed at stopping this uncontrolled movement of air by closing the gaps and cracks in the construction of the building (the fabric, the windows and doors, and around cables and pipes, for example) through which warm air can escape and cold air can get in. Indeed, high levels of airtightness with poor ventilation is not healthy for the occupants or the building.

However, this is where mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) becomes key. It enables the benefits of high levels of airtightness to be achieved with controlled ventilation recovering heat from the warm air being expelled. In addition, filters within the MVHR system can remove harmful particles from the outside air.

So, insulation and air tightness are crucial when creating an energy-efficient home. They work together to limit reliance on space heating, therefore, reducing cost and carbon emissions and creating a comfortable and healthy living environment.

At Golden Brook, energy efficiency and sustainability are central to our methodology and processes. Speak to our team and we'll explain how we can create your dream home.