Cost-effective energy efficiency - 4 ways to insulate a house
From the series "Paints, chemicals, insulation - innovations 2020".
Sustainable construction is not just a matter of complying with stringent EU requirements, but first and foremost an investment in environmental protection. And although the construction of economical houses is not yet a standard in Poland, Soudal, a leading supplier of roofing chemicals, has been focusing on innovative and energy-efficient solutions for years. Learn about several ways to protect your home from energy loss and increase thermal comfort.
According to European Union guidelines, soon all newly built houses should be characterized by almost zero energy consumption. This will force investors to use environmentally friendly solutions. Despite the fact that the regulations will take effect in January 2021, Soudal has been investing in economical technologies for a long time and consistently expanding its product range with new system solutions for energy-efficient construction.
Insulation and thermal insulation - energy-efficient solutions from Soudal
© SOUDAL
1. tight window installation
Soudal Window System is a three-layer installation of window joinery, which allows you to achieve the highest parameters of thermal insulation of the window joint, thus preventing the waste of energy in the house. The system relies on the use of three zones with well-defined properties. The middle layer is polyurethane mounting foam with excellent thermal insulation properties. It tightly fills the free spaces, preventing heat loss through the gap around the window or door. However, only a dry layer of foam does not degrade and provides long-term protection against the cold. If it is not properly protected, there is insufficient thermal protection and the risk of mold. Therefore, for proper installation it is necessary to protect the middle layer from moisture. The protective role is fulfilled by vapor barrier tape. Vapor-permeable tape forms the top layer and protects the foam from moisture penetration from the outside of the building, while vapor-proof tape protects against moisture penetration from inside the building.
The combination of the three layers - vapor-proof tape, mounting foam and vapor-permeable tape - refers to the principle of "tighter on the inside than on the outside." Which means that it is the mounting foam that is tightly protected against the ingress of moisture generated by the occupants during daily household activities. On the other hand, moisture that nevertheless enters the insulation layer is carried away to the outside by the vapor-permeable tape. At the same time, it protects against the penetration of moisture from the building environment. Only the three-layer installation of joinery provides permanent protection and sealing of the window joint, eliminates the danger of thermal bridges around the window and effectively protects against the loss of heat energy in the building, which in turn means lower heating bills.
Modern construction has to meet increasingly high requirements for energy efficiency and, consequently, thermal insulation. Soudal Window Installation's Soudaframe is a system for installing window and door frames in the thermal insulation layer made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). As a composite material, GFRP mainly consists of two components: fiberglass as a mechanical reinforcement to absorb tensile forces and reaction resin as a matrix for fiber deposition (compressive forces). The manufacturing process of GFRP frame components is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. As a waste product, GFRP is fully recyclable and is reused mainly in cement production.
Insulating and insulating the roof
© SOUDAL
2 Tight roof insulation
Proper thermal insulation of the roof is not only a guarantee of thermal comfort, but also savings on energy bills. Soudal offers innovative solutions that guarantee the tightness and mechanical strength of roofs for many years. Soudatherm Roof is a reliable flat roof insulation system, developed by Soudal in cooperation with architects and professional roofing teams. The system is suitable for any type of roofing and can be successfully used for both new construction and renovation of old roofs. The main components of Soudatherm Roof are high-performance, application-safe polyurethane adhesives that ensure fast and durable attachment of insulation materials. Importantly, they reduce the need for mechanical joints, and consequently prevent thermal bridges and condensation in the roof structure.
Soudatherm Roof 330 is a polyurethane adhesive in an economical pressure bottle. Expanding as it cures, it perfectly fills substrate irregularities and eliminates air voids. It is widely used in the installation of insulation boards made of rigid PUR and PIR foams (finished with mineral fleece or ALU film), polystyrene (EPS), rigid phenolic foams, as well as foamed mineral materials such as perlite or multipol. While Soudatherm Roof 330 is the best solution for large projects, Soudatherm Roof 250 is ideal for smaller areas, while Soudatherm Roof 170 is recommended in particular for the installation of mineral wool.
For sealing the roof from the inside, vapor barrier membranes are commonly used. However, they can provide proper insulation only when they are glued tightly together. For this purpose, products should be used that allow the membranes to be joined together while maintaining the highest vapor tightness parameters. One-sided adhesive tapes Soudatape Connect and Soudatape Flex (acrylic adhesive) and adhesive sealant Vapourseal can help in this task, where high Sd parameters, high elasticity and breaking strength guarantee long-term durability of the connection.
For external roof sealing, vapor-permeable membranes are used. As with vapor-permeable membranes, here, too, special attention should be paid to their connection. This is because any leakage can lead to moisture in the thermal insulation layer. For proper sealing and hermetic bonding of all kinds of vapor permeable membranes, Soudatape Facade vapor permeable tape (acrylic adhesive) is dedicated. The high strength and flexibility of the tape guarantees tight bonding and effective operation of the membrane even in harsh weather conditions and during sub-zero temperatures.
Ensuring proper thermal insulation of the roof, also requires proper sealing of its covering, i.e. the places where the connection to the chimney, hatch or roof window occurs. Here the flexible and highly durable adhesive-sealant Colozinc and aluminum sealing tape with butyl adhesive Butylband will prove their worth. Both products, in addition to excellent sealing performance, are characterized by environmentally friendly properties - low VOC emissions make it possible to use them in green buildings, such as LEED-certified buildings.
Insulating and insulating walls and foundations - energy-efficient solutions from Soudal
© SOUDAL
3. effectively insulated house
Soudal's product portfolio also includes Soudafoam SPF W2H closed-cell foam for spray insulation of flat roofs. This method allows very fast execution of full and seamless thermal insulation, which reduces heat loss to the maximum. After application, the foam is protected with an additional coating against UV radiation.
Spray-applied Soudafoam SPF closed-cell polyurethane foam is ideal for insulating buildings both inside and outside. When sprayed on, it produces a continuous, seamless insulation layer that adheres tightly to the substrate and permanently fills even hard-to-reach spaces.
Closed-cell polyurethane foam has more than 90% closed cells in its structure. It is characterized by very good insulating properties and good strength parameters, it also has high dimensional stability. Closed-cell foam is waterproof, but allows diffusion of water vapor from the room. It is ideal for thermal and hydroisoalation of foundations - the foam reaches into every unevenness of the foundation, creating a uniform layer of insulation. In addition, spraying foam on foundations with large areas significantly reduces construction time and guarantees the tightness of the insulation.
Soudafoam SPF open-cell polyurethane spray foam, on the other hand, is a solution that will work well for interior insulation. Open-cell polyurethane foam has a preponderance of open cells in its structure, making it vapor-permeable. Water vapor circulating in the air (resulting from poor ventilation) does not condense on its surface and does not cause mold. Open-cell foam is very light, does not weigh down the structure, and by stiffening it further strengthens it. Foam applied by pressure spraying fills all hard-to-reach places and spaces, creating a continuous layer of insulation with excellent heat transfer coefficient and diffusion resistance Due to its properties, open-cell polyurethane foam is not designed for insulating foundations (possibility of water absorption, lack of compressive strength).
Insulating and insulating sensitive areas of the building - energy-efficient solutions from Soudal
© SOUDAL
4. sealing of critical parts of the building
In sealing the most sensitive areas of the house, such as installation penetrations, ventilation or chimneys, Soudaseal's professional sealing compounds are perfect. These masses are designed for bonding and sealing places where permanent flexibility is required. They are ideal for most installation projects. They can be applied on concrete, metals, plastics. The masses are resistant to low and high temperatures, as well as high humidity.
For more information, visit the company's Soudal Sp. z o.o. page on the A&B portal.
