Any home that invests heavily in a new roof should also take a look at the loft insulation materials used in the space below the roof at the same time.
Standard Loft Insulation
A roof is a long term investment, but you will not get the most from this investment if heat from your home is allowed to escape through the roof to the outside world. Loft insulation is really cheap, but when you insulate your loft you could cut energy bills significantly as your home will retain heat generated much more effectively. Loft insulation can be simply rolled out into the loft space at a required depth to insulate the home. However, if you are creating a loft room, you will instead need to use insulation which fits between the rafters before being boarded over.
There are a wide range of home insulation products available, with new types being much easier to fit than their predecessors. Some loft insulation is also coated with a radiant surface layer meaning than radiant heat transfer will be stopped almost completely, which will keep your home cool in the summer as well as warm in the winter.
While older types of insulation were messy to apply with bare fibres causing a hazard, most new types of loft insulation are enclosed in a covered roll so it is easy to fit and not messy at all.
Hybrid Loft Insulation
There is also the new range of hybrid insulation products available which combine an insulation layer with a breathable membrane, combining the two elements you need to insulate your loft without creating condensation problems which can damage the rafters, batten and other interior elements.
One of the more innovative insulation manufacturers, Actis has introduced a number of insulation products which utilise a honeycomb structure to give incredibly effective insulation and thermal conductivity as low as 0.033 W/m.K
