Frequently Asked Questions

General Construction

Insulation helps keep your house warm in the same way that wearing a jacket or jumper helps to keep your body warm. If your home is often cold or hard to heat, it may be poorly insulated. Insulation can save money and energy in the home and ensures that the heat you pay for stays within your walls.

  • Save money on your fuel bills
  • Grants available to help with the cost as of April 2009
  • Adds value and salability to your home
  • Protects the environment and reduces CO2 emissions

Most of your heat (32%) will be lost throughout your property's roof, followed by walls (27%) and through Ventilation systems (18%). However, windows and floors are also culprits and addressing your insulation needs will help combat all of this.

The U-value is the measure of the rate at which heat is lost through a wall or roof, for instance. As it is a measure of heat loss then the lower the U-value the better it is for your home.

Insulation is blown in, using an insulation hose, or rolled out across the attic space to a depth of approximately 270mm, which complies with current building regulations.

If you have existing flooring in your attic, it can be raised to a suitable level to allow the required amount of insulation to be fitted. Extra flooring space can also be provided, if required.

The average attic can be completed in about 2 hours.

Attic insulation acts as a blanket trapping heat rising from the living space below and can typically reduce heating costs by up to 20%. Attic insulation has a payback period of approximately 3 years.

Insulating 50sq.m (540sq.ft.) of a typical house could save approximately €130 a year (up to 20% of your fuel heating bill) and so would pay for itself in about three years. (SEAI – A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)

The external wall of a house is constructed of two masonry (brick or block) walls, with a cavity (gap) of at least 50mm between the two walls.

The cavity wall is injected with the insulating material by drilling a series of holes in the external wall. Holes are generally of 25mm in diameter (approx size of a €1 coin). Once the insulation is installed the holes are filled.

Once installation is complete, the contractor will ensure all holes are filled.

Cavity Wall Insulation normally takes around 2 hours to install, but the length of time does depend on the size of the house and other factors such as access.

Before installation, an experienced representative of OS Insulate will undertake an assessment of your property and confirm that it is suitable for insulation.

The drilling process does create some vibration so it would be wise to remove ornaments, particularly near external walls, for their safety and your own peace of mind.

The drilling process, during Cavity Wall insulation, inevitably creates a little dust, which will be cleared upon completion of the job. In order to make space for both our equipment & tools, you would also be advised to remove vehicles away from outside the property.

The Contractor must undertake checks before and after installation, so it is essential that they have access to the inside of your property. Apart from these checks, all the remaining work is carried out from the outside.

Assuming your neighbour's house is not already insulated, the contractor will insert a cavity barrier at the party wall line. If your neighbour's house is insulated at the same time, the cavity barrier is not needed.

Up to half the heat loss from a house occurs through the walls, this can be reduced by two thirds by insulating the walls. (SEAI – A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)

The SEAI states that by insulating cavity walls you will have an annual fuel saving of between €100-€160, while the pay back period is between 4 and 7 years. (Saving are based on initial space heating costs of €650 excluding standing charges) (SEAI – A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)

An 80mm lagging jacket can cut heat loss by 75% and could pay for itself in just a few months. If you're lagging jacket is less than 75mm thick, it is worth getting a new one.

An 80mm lagging jacket can cut heat loss by 75% and could pay for itself in just a few months. If you're lagging jacket is less than 75mm thick, it is worth getting a new one.

Get in touch with our experienced team of insulators today by calling +353 86 894 4916 or emailing admin @osinsulate.ie .

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Designer: OS Insulation West Cork