Thermal Insulation - A Brief Intro

Basically, thermal insulation means using all the methods and techniques in limiting heat transfer between cold and hot mediums. This is used in many areas like buildings, industry structures, cars, kitchens and residences.

The main purpose of the insulation is to reduce or totally eliminate heat exchanges between two bodies having different temperatures. In concrete terms, it may mean keeping the hear present inside the house or keeping the cold inside a refrigerator.

The method is then to interpose another material, an insulating one, between the hot and the cold medium. This material (generally termed “heat insulator”) can be a simple dry layer of air that stays in the gap between the two environments.

Heat exchange

There will be a heat exchange between the two media that has different temperatures and when this temperature difference is important. The heat is then propagated (transferred) from the hot medium to the cold one.

There are several types in the means of exchanging heat. This would include the straight-forward conduction, radiation, convection or by simultaneous action or one or more of these means of heat exchange.

Buildings

The insulation of a building reduces the heat exchange between the interior of the building and the outside. The result is the reduction of the need for heating and, where appropriate, also the air conditioning.

The insulation is done according to the climatic constraints of the place where the building is located. At the moment, the technology is fighting energy wastes and this is required in building insulations (heated or cooled) and is regulated in some countries.

Residences

The same principles and guidelines govern the implementation in heating houses as it is in buildings, with some differences only in details and some procedures. 

Insulation on temperatures also governs the basic of a passive house. It traps warmth inside in winter and keeps the house cool in summer. With improved insulation, energy consumption is reduced, even including the reduction of greenhouse gases into the air.

One way of insulating a house and preventing heat is using small boilers to heat it up. The insulation is used to minimize the amount of heating and fuel needed to keep it at temperature.

Regulations

In France, insulation of new housing is mandated and compulsory. It is also their effective way to reduce heating and air-conditioning costs while improving comfort or at least keeping it. One regulation requires construction or renovation to have indices of insulation.

These would include insulation, high ceiling, and low humidity. These indices vary according to the regions (climate and height). The indices for performance had also been required to classify building insulation into categories.

Thermal expertise

There is a need for thermal expertise to indicate and assess the quality of insulation of a house. It is also needed to judge which of the many thermal solutions are appropriate for the purpose.

The expert opinions needed would also focus on the materials to use on the overall thermalinsulation. For residences, the most important consideration is the comfort. The insulation needed therefore is for the necessary areas of the floors, the walls and the ceilings.