Did you know that right now in the UK the timber frame home is more popular than your typical brick and mortar build?
There are several reasons why timber frame is so popular:
- First of all, timber frame construction is much quicker to build, in turn reducing site labour costs
- Timber frame also allows for off site construction, meaning they can be factory build and simply assembled at site further reducing install costs.
- Thirdly, reduced construction waste through efficient controlled manufacturing
Timber frame homes can already be energy-efficient, but there are some improvements you can make to further improve them. Here are our tips.
1. ENERGY AUDIT
An energy audit will tell you exactly what areas in your home require attention when it comes to heat loss.
You can check with your local government if you can get one for free, or just hire a specialist to do it.
The auditor will do an analysis and some tests to identify the most important areas in your home that you need to improve.
2. WALL INSULATION
Approximately a third of all heat will escape through the walls, even if it’s a timber frame home.
In the winter time, this is of particular importance. The heat will always travel towards colder areas of your home.
There are two main method of insulating:
If you want to calculate the impact wall insulation will have on your timber frame home, you can request a U-value calc directly from our team.
3. EFFICIENT WINDOWS
Some of the heat from your home will be lost through the windows. There’s really no way to avoid it unless you want to live in the dark!
Unfortunately windows (and doors) are a weak spot for houses in terms of thermal performance its simply not possible for them to provide as high an insulation value as your roof & walls.
To minimize the affect they have on your homes energy efficiency its wise to invest in high performance windows such as triple or even quadruple glazed that was well sealed. To minimize on thickness and weight some window manufacturers are now producing windows using very thin film rather than extra pieces of glass, this film is normally coated to make it low emissivity and further enhance performance.
Well sealed windows can also offer improve noise insulation values.
4. REDUCING AIR INFILTRATION
Air leaks can be found anywhere in your home. Here are the most common sources of air infiltration:
- Electric outlets
- The windows and the door frames
- Bypasses from the attic
- Window AC units
- Crawl spaces
- Chimney
- Cracks
The air sealing is something you can even do yourself, especially if you know the problem areas of your home.
HOW ENERGY-EFFICIENT IS YOUR TIMBER FRAME HOME?
There is always room for improvement when it comes to making your home as energy-efficient as possible.
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it, especially when it comes with so many benefits.
If you’d like to test out our multifoil insulation, just contact us to request your free sample pack. It comes with data sheets and product samples, so you’ll have all the details you need.
If you have any other questions regarding insulation, you can reach us at 01636 639 900.
