From
a common perspective, a specific condition of insulation is the process of
preventing heat (or cold) from entering into a place. In temperate countries,
these could mean the cold is prevented from getting inside a home (or building).
This refers to thermal insulation.
From
a general view of insulation, it could also mean preventing electricity from
being touched (it is dangerous) and so the need for insulating the wires with
electricity to be able to handle these without being electrocuted. This is
electrical insulation.
In
places like nuclear plants, workers go to restricted places wearing special clothing
equipments to insulate them from the harmful effects of radiation from nuclear
materials. Sound insulation is the condition where unwanted sound is prevented
from entering into a place with barriers like tightly-fitted panels.
Thermal insulation
Usually,
this is the type of insulation people usually think of in association with
insulation and heat. In houses (and some buildings) this is usually done on
walls, floors, and ceilings, especially the outer walls of a house where heat
is most likely to be gained (or lost).
This
is the sort of insulation people normally think of first when they think of
insulation. The idea is simple: keeping one side of the insulation material warmer
than the other. In temperate countries, insulation is already incorporated
during the construction of houses.
Prevention
The
main idea is to contain the heat in one place and not spread, leak or seep into
another area where it is not needed. In winter months, heat is conserved inside
and makes the house comfortable. If it leaks out into the outside, or has a
small opening where it seeps out, it will soon dissipate and the room will be
cold.
If
your residence is on areas where the weather has swings in temperature throughout
the year, the insulation will need to be coupled with the correct passive
design principles. If the temperatures are in the extremes, your home design
needs to be incorporated in everything.
Types
For
residences, the most common insulating type is the batts. These are usually
made of glass wool or Rockwool (A new material now in the market is called
earthwool). In general, batts are light
panels of materials that are fluffy-looking.
This
usually sits inside the frame of your house, in wall spaces or in ceilings. They
work by trapping the tiny pockets of warmed air within its fibrous fiber
materials.
Other
common insulation materials are the blown-in cellulose, polyurethane foam,
polyester matting, and reflective foil. Each of these types works differently
in trapping or repelling heat.
R values
The R
value measures and calculates the effectiveness of thermal insulation
capability of materials. The higher the R value, the better the thermal
insulation it provides.
There
are two ways R values are specified. One is the R value of the insulation
material itself (the Rm. or the total R value) of the construction. This
includes the all the other layers which may be concrete, bricks, plasterboard
and others.
The
need for Insulation is usually place-specific especially in places where
extremes in temperature happen.
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