227 www.masterbu||der.co.|n The Masterbu||der - January 2012 226 The Masterbu||der - January 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.

|n
a||erg|es. Pesearch has a|so ound that
|nsta|||ng |nsu|at|on w||| |ead to hea|th
bene|ts such as reduced |nc|dence o
asthma.
A new res|dence be|ng bu||t can
|ncu|catethe|nsu|at|ontechn|quesdur|ng
|ts construct|on as prescr|bed by the
bu||d|ng codes, wh||e the o|d houses
and bu||d|ngs can be retro|tted or the
same, thus resu|t|ng |n cons|derab|e
|nanc|a| sav|ngs over a certa|n per|od
and added comort |n extreme weather
cond|t|ons. The |arge number o
advantages thus resu|t|ng rom |t
undoubted|y proves |nsu|at|on to be a
cr| t| ca| necess| ty | n res| dent| a|
construct|ons, as we trans|t |nto an era
o susta|nab|e homes rom the current
t|mes!
Howdoes it work?
The lnsu|at|on mater|a|s work on a
s|ng|e bas|c pr|nc|p|e, |.e., the heat
moves rom warmer to co|der areas. lt
|s known that on co|d days, heat rom
|ns|de a bu||d|ng seeks to get outs|de,
wh||e on warmer days, the heat rom
outs|de the bu||d|ng seeks to get |ns|de.
The |nsu|at|ng mater|a| s|ows down th|s
process. The conduct|on ab|||ty o
construct|on mater|a|s dr|ts downwards
rom concrete and mortar, to wood,
and then to the worst conductors such
as therma| |nsu|at|ng mater|a|s. Gases
||ke a|r are even worse conductors but
they are prone to convect|on.
lnsu|at|ng your hot water system |s
an obv|ous pr|or|ty because |t takes
||tt|e eort. lnsu|at|ng your hot water
p|pes reduces heat |oss and can ra|se
water temperature 2`F - 4`F hotter than
un-|nsu|ated p|pes can de||ver, a||ow|ng
or a |ower water temperature sett|ng.
You a|so wont have to wa|t as |ong or
hot water when you turn on a aucet or
showerhead, wh|ch he|ps conserve
water. A|so, | your hot water cy||nder has
an A rat|ng |t |s a|ready we|| |nsu|ated, |
not |t w||| bene|t rom a hot water
cy||nder wrap.
Ma|or amount o heat |oss |n a home
occurs through the ce|||ng, so that
shou|d be the top pr|or|ty or |nsu|at|on.
Poos and ce|||ngs work most eect|ve|y
| they are |nsu|ated together. About
42% o heat |oss rom an average
un-|nsu|ated home occurs through th|s
area (up to 60% |n o|der houses). Wa||s
a|so |ose a s|gn||cant amount o heat,
P|nt-s|zed pockets o trapped a|r
ex|st |n an |nsu|at|ng mater|a| wh|ch
res|sts the transer o heat between the
two env|ronments. The sma||er the
pocket, the better |s the |nsu|at|on.
Though th|s mater|a| w||| not stop the
|oss or ga|n o heat comp|ete|y, |t
m|n|m|zes |t cons|derab|y. We can
|nsu|ate our homes by prov|d|ng
cav|t|es o st||| a|r, such as |n wa||
|nsu|at|on or doub|e-g|az|ng. Another
method |s to use suraces that re|ect
heat, suchass||ver o|| beh|ndrad|ators.
Wheretoapply?
The quant|ty and qua||ty o |nsu|at|on
a house needs depends on |ts |ocat|on
and the part o the house to be
|nsu|ated. Space heat|ng & water
heat|ng make the |argest contr|but|on
to your power b||| |n co|d weather,
amount|ng to 34% and 29% o the
power b||| respect|ve|y.
lnsu|at|on |s the b|ggest stakeho|der
|n the deve|opment o todays modern
energy sav|ng homes. From creat|ng
and mod|y|ng bu||d|ngs or comort
and energy e|c|ency to reduc|ng the
|ntens|ty o sound or the rate o heat
transer, |nsu|at|ng your home w||| do
the tr|ck!
nsulation: Anecessity or an 'attractive
add-on'?
Not surpr|s|ng|y, energy sav|ngs &
comortab|e|ndoors comehand|nhand
w|th an |nsu|ated home. lnsu|at|on he|ps
prov|d|ng an even |ndoor temperature
year round. ln summers, |nsu|at|on
o Green has been the popu|ar
chant among the masses over
Gthe past coup|e o years.
Among the many chang|ng trends, as a
resu|t o th|s green revo|ut|on, |s the
grow|ng popu|ar|ty and demand o
energy e|c|ent and susta|nab|e
res|dences wh|ch have now become
the hottest trend o the year. Energy
e|c|ent homes cost much |ess to heat,
coo| and ||ght as compared to a typ|ca|
home, thus contr|but|ng to the cutt|ng
|n greenhouse em|ss|ons and power
dependency wh||e at the same t|me
creat|ng a hea|th|er and comortab|e
|ndoor env|ronment to ||ve |n.
prevents the heat exchange between
|ndoors and outdoors, thus keep|ng
the heat out and keep|ng the house
coo|. Homes bu||t |n co|d reg|ons as
usua||y des|gned to trap max|mum
sun||ght or heat captured rom the sun
to keep |ndoors warm or e|se heaters
are used, as an a|ternat|ve to tack|e
w|nters. lt |s o utmost |mportance that
th|s heat |s |ncapab|e o escap|ng
through the wa||s, ce|||ngs or |oors o a
house. A|so, the warm |nsu|ated
suraces prevent the ormat|on o
condensat|on on them, thus reduc|ng
the ||ke||hood o mo|d &m||dewand the
consequent resp|ratory |||ness and
co-trands Ior '0raanar' homas: |nsu|at|on
Chaitanya GoyaI, Spec|a| Correspondent
P|ctures taken us|ng therma| |mag|ng shows a we|| |nsu|ated bu||d|ng on the |et wh||e the house on the r|ght shows an un-|nsu|ated bu||d|ng
lnsu|at|on mater|a|s work on bas|c pr|nc|p|e o heat mov|ng rom warmer to co|der areas
InsuIation InsuIation
227 www.masterbu||der.co.|n The Masterbu||der - January 2012 226 The Masterbu||der - January 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.|n
a||erg|es. Pesearch has a|so ound
that |nsta|||ng |nsu|at|on w||| |ead to
hea|th bene|ts such as reduced
|nc|dence o asthma.
A new res|dence be|ng bu||t can
|ncu|catethe|nsu|at|ontechn|quesdur|ng
|ts construct|on as prescr|bed by the
bu||d|ng codes, wh||e the o|d houses
and bu||d|ngs can be retro|tted or the
same, thus resu|t|ng |n cons|derab|e
|nanc|a| sav|ngs over a certa|n per|od
and added comort |n extreme weather
cond|t|ons. The |arge number o
advantages thus resu|t|ng rom |t
undoubted|y proves |nsu|at|on to be a
cr| t| ca| necess| ty | n res| dent| a|
construct|ons, as we trans|t |nto an era
o susta|nab|e homes rom the current
t|mes!
Howdoes it work?
The lnsu|at|on mater|a|s work on a
s|ng|e bas|c pr|nc|p|e, |.e., the heat
moves rom warmer to co|der areas. lt
|s known that on co|d days, heat rom
|ns|de a bu||d|ng seeks to get outs|de,
wh||e on warmer days, the heat rom
outs|de the bu||d|ng seeks to get |ns|de.
The |nsu|at|ng mater|a| s|ows down th|s
process. The conduct|on ab|||ty o
construct|on mater|a|s dr|ts downwards
rom concrete and mortar, to wood,
and then to the worst conductors such
as therma| |nsu|at|ng mater|a|s. Gases
||ke a|r are even worse conductors but
they are prone to convect|on.
lnsu|at|ng your hot water system |s
an obv|ous pr|or|ty because |t takes
||tt|e eort. lnsu|at|ng your hot water
p|pes reduces heat |oss and can ra|se
water temperature 2`F - 4`F hotter than
un-|nsu|ated p|pes can de||ver, a||ow|ng
or a |ower water temperature sett|ng.
You a|so wont have to wa|t as |ong or
hot water when you turn on a aucet or
showerhead, wh|ch he|ps conserve
water. A|so, | your hot water cy||nder has
an A rat|ng |t |s a|ready we|| |nsu|ated, |
not |t w||| bene|t rom a hot water
cy||nder wrap.
Ma|or amount o heat |oss |n a home
occurs through the ce|||ng, so that
shou|d be the top pr|or|ty or |nsu|at|on.
Poos and ce|||ngs work most eect|ve|y
| they are |nsu|ated together. About
42% o heat |oss rom an average
un-|nsu|ated home occurs through th|s
area (up to 60% |n o|der houses). Wa||s
a|so |ose a s|gn||cant amount o heat,
P|nt-s|zed pockets o trapped a|r
ex|st |n an |nsu|at|ng mater|a| wh|ch
res|sts the transer o heat between the
two env|ronments. The sma||er the
pocket, the better |s the |nsu|at|on.
Though th|s mater|a| w||| not stop the
|oss or ga|n o heat comp|ete|y, |t
m|n|m|zes |t cons|derab|y. We can
|nsu|ate our homes by prov|d|ng
cav|t|es o st||| a|r, such as |n wa||
|nsu|at|on or doub|e-g|az|ng. Another
method |s to use suraces that re|ect
heat, suchass||ver o|| beh|ndrad|ators.
Wheretoapply?
The quant|ty and qua||ty o |nsu|at|on
a house needs depends on |ts |ocat|on
and the part o the house to be
|nsu|ated. Space heat|ng & water
heat|ng make the |argest contr|but|on
to your power b||| |n co|d weather,
amount|ng to 34% and 29% o the
power b||| respect|ve|y.
lnsu|at|on |s the b|ggest stakeho|der
|n the deve|opment o todays modern
energy sav|ng homes. From creat|ng
and mod|y|ng bu||d|ngs or comort
and energy e|c|ency to reduc|ng the
|ntens|ty o sound or the rate o heat
transer, |nsu|at|ng your home w||| do
the tr|ck!
nsulation: Anecessity or an 'attractive
add-on'?
Not surpr|s|ng|y, energy sav|ngs &
comortab|e|ndoors comehand|nhand
w|th an |nsu|ated home. lnsu|at|on he|ps
prov|d|ng an even |ndoor temperature
year round. ln summers, |nsu|at|on
o Green has been the popu|ar
chant among the masses over
Gthe past coup|e o years.
Among the many chang|ng trends, as a
resu|t o th|s green revo|ut|on, |s the
grow|ng popu|ar|ty and demand o
energy e|c|ent and susta|nab|e
res|dences wh|ch have now become
the hottest trend o the year. Energy
e|c|ent homes cost much |ess to heat,
coo| and ||ght as compared to a typ|ca|
home, thus contr|but|ng to the cutt|ng
|n greenhouse em|ss|ons and power
dependency wh||e at the same t|me
creat|ng a hea|th|er and comortab|e
|ndoor env|ronment to ||ve |n.
prevents the heat exchange
between |ndoors and outdoors, thus
keep|ng the heat out and keep|ng the
house coo|. Homes bu||t |n co|d
reg|ons as usua||y des|gned to trap
max|mum sun||ght or heat captured
rom the sun to keep |ndoors warm or
e|se heaters are used, as an a|ternat|ve
to tack|e w|nters. lt |s o utmost
|mportance that th|s heat |s |ncapab|e
o escap|ng through the wa||s, ce|||ngs
or |oors o a house. A|so, the warm
| nsu| ated suraces prevent the
ormat|on o condensat|on on them,
thus reduc|ng the ||ke||hood o mo|d &
m||dewand the consequent resp|ratory
co-trands Ior '0raanar' homas: |nsu|at|on
Chaitanya GoyaI, Spec|a| Correspondent
P|ctures taken us|ng therma| |mag|ng shows a we|| |nsu|ated bu||d|ng on the |et wh||e the house on the r|ght shows an un-|nsu|ated bu||d|ng
lnsu|at|on mater|a|s work on bas|c pr|nc|p|e o heat mov|ng rom warmer to co|der areas
InsuIation InsuIation
228 The Masterbu||der - January 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.|n
but they are d||cu|t to retro|t w|th
|nsu|at|on w|thout remov|ng the |nterna|
||n|ng. About 24%o heat romanaverage
un-|nsu|ated home |s |ost through the
wa||s. A|so, wa|| |nsu|at|on can doub|e
as a mo|sture barr|er. F|oors |ose on|y
about 10-12% o heat, but they are
easy and cheap to |nsu|ate and the
comort bene|ts o a warmer |oor are
great. W|ndows are respons|b|e or
h|ghest heat dra|n per un|t area wh|ch
amounts to 20-30% o the tota| |oss.
se o re|ect|ve |nsu|at|on under
the roo and bu|k |nsu|at|on |n the
ce|||ng or ro|||ng bu|k b|anket |nsu|at|on
across ce|||ng |o|sts |s one o the most
eect|ve way to |nsu|ate the ce|||ng,
wh||e w|ndows can be |tted w|th drapes
or b||nds, but these need to be we|| |tted
or usage o doub|e-g|az|ng can be
made. For wa|| |nsu|at|on, wh||e us|ng a
ramed construct|on system, |nsu|at|on
shou|dbep|acedw|th|nthewa|| ram|ng.
lnsu|at|on can a|so be |nsta||ed outs|de
the ram|ng but the |nsu|at|on must be
weatherproo to be eect|ve. Where
heat |s stored |n the therma| mass o a
bu||d|ng |t |s |mportant to |nsta|| the
|nsu|at|on on the co|d s|de o the mass.
A concrete |oor used or heat storage
needs to have the |nsu|at|on underneath,
not ontop. S|nce, theconcrete|oors |ose
heat ma|n|y at the edges, the deta|||ng
shou|d be pa|d proper attent|on.
The des|gn and construct|on o
your home w||| aect the spec||c types
o |nsu|at|onthat canbeusedandwhere
they can be p|aced. Some construct|on
systems ||ke aerated concrete b|ocks,
g|ass b|ocks andstrawba|es whenused,
requ|re ||tt|e or abso|ute|y no add|t|ona|
|nsu|at|on. A|so, |ts a|ways better to
ana|yzepersona| hab|tsandpreerences.
For examp|e, | one |s hab|tua| o open
curta|ns at n|ght to en|oy the v|ew,
doub|e-g|az|ng |s a sens|b|e cho|ce. Or
| a am||y |s used to wa|k|ng bareoot |n
them|dd|eo w|nter, under-|oor |nsu|at|on
becomes |mportant.
Howmuchis enough?
A mater|a|s ab|||ty to res|st the |ow
o heat |s measured accord|ng to the
P- va|ues. The h|gher the P-va|ue, the
greater |s the |nsu|at|ng eect|veness.
The P-va|ue depends on the type o
|nsu|at|on and |nc|udes |ts mater|a|,
th|ckness, and dens|ty. When ca|cu|at|ng
the P-va|ue o a mu|t||ayered|nsta||at|on,
add the P-va|ues o the |nd|v|dua|
|ayers. The Bu||d|ng Codes prescr|be a
m|n|mum |nsu|at|on |eve| or new
bu||d|ngs and ma|or renovat|ons.
lnsta|||ng |nsu|at|on to the best |eve|s |n
your home |ncreases the P-va|ue and
the res|stance to heat |ow.
The recommended P-va|ues depend
on the c||mate, |ocat|on and type o
construct|on mater|a|s used. These
va|ues may range between 0.3-0.35 or
w|ndows, 1.2-3.2 or |oor, 1.2-2.6 or
Ce|||ng lnsu|at|on
The P-va|ue depends on the type o |nsu|at|on and
|nc|udes |ts mater|a|, th|ckness, and dens|ty
InsuIation
Durotop Construction
Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.
Gayatri Polymers &
Geosynthetics
Nuha Construction
Relyon Facility
Services
wa||s and 1.9-4.6 or roo. These
P-va|ues or w|ndows can be ach|eved
on|y w|th doub|e g|az|ng. Cons|der the
P-va|ue beore buy|ng |nsu|at|on, and
check the product |abe| to determ|ne
the |nsu|at|ons proper th|ckness,
espec|a||y | you p|an to |nsta|| |t |n a
con|ned space, such as |n wa|| cav|t|es
and cathedra| ce|||ngs. lts much eas|er
to |t |nsu|at|on wh||e bu||d|ng than to
retro|t |t |ater. ln countr|es ||ke the SA,
the .S. Department o Energys Z|p
Code lnsu|at|on Ca|cu|ator |s used to
determ|ne where you need to |nsu|ate
and the recommended P-va|ues
based on your |ocat|on c||mate and
type o heat|ng and coo||ng system,
etc. The program a|so prov|des the
cost est|mates and a rate o return.
Beore a new home |s |nsu|ated, |t a|so
needs to be proper|y a|r sea|ed and
arrangements or mo|sture contro|
shou|d be proper|y done. sua||y, the
des|gn eng|neer or the arch|tect o the
house adv|ses we|| onthe matter.
nstallation
The best |nsu|at|on mater|a| can be
|neect|ve | |t |s |nsta||ed poor|y. Most
|mportant|y, gaps and spaces must be
avo|ded, as they w||| a||ow warm a|r to
bypass the |nsu|at|on and escape.
lnsu|at|onshou|dnever becompressed,
as th|s cou|d make |t |ess eect|ve.
Therma| br|dg|ng m|ght a|so resu|t |n
heat |oss as a resu|t o wh|ch, sneaky
heat takes the path o |east res|stance,
|ow|ng ma|n|y through the |ow therma|
res|st|ng mater|a| rather than through
the |nsu|at|on|nthe spaces between.
Proper |nsta||at|on|s cruc|a| because
a gap o on|y 4mm |n a pane| o
|nsu|at|on can reduce the P-va|ue o
that pane| by 40%! Compress|ng or
o|d|ng |nsu|at|on mater|a| a|so reduces
|ts P-va|ue.
lnsu|at|on Po||s are ava||ab|e |n
sea|ed packages and these expand
when the bag |s opened. The cav|ty |n
wh|ch the ro|| |s be|ng used must be
measured accurate|y. The |nsu|at|on
shou|d be cut an |nch more than the
cav|ty d|mens|ons on the s|des hav|ng
no ac|ng. Push the |nsu|at|on |nto the
cav|ty and make sure that the edges
and corners are proper|y |||ed up and
not o|ded over. l the vapor retarder
ac|ng|sbe|ngused, |t shou|dbetowards
the |nter|or o the room. lnsu|at|on can
be stap|ed to the |o|sts rather than
comp|ete|y depend|ng on r|ct|on to
ho|d |t. F|oor |nsu|at|on shou|d be
secured by us|ng w|re asteners.
Ad|acent ro||s o |nsu|at|on shou|d on|y
|t snug|y aga|nst each other and
shou|d not over|ap. lnsu|at|on shou|d
never be compressed as |t w||| |ose |ts
eect|veness. l you |nd you have to do
that you have the wrong th|ckness
se|ected.
Some Non-structura| orms o
|nsu|at|on |nc|ude batts, b|ankets,
|oose-|||, spray oam, and pane|s.
Such |nsu|at|ons can be ro||ed over the
ce|||ng ram|ng, wh|ch w||| save t|me
cutt|ng segments to s|ze. lt a|so has the
bene|t o cover|ngtheram|ng, reduc|ng
therma| br|dg|ng. When used |n wa||s or
under the |oor |t needs to be stap|ed to
the ram|ng to prevent sagg|ng. Such
type o |nsu|at|ons must be careu||y cut
to |t around obstruct|ons, such as
w|ndow rames, p|pes, w|res, and
e|ectr|ca| boxes w|th no gaps & under
sk|||ed superv|s|on.
B|own-|n ce||u|ose or spray oam
can be used to ||| wa|| cav|t|es. Both o
these products can do a good |ob o
||||ng |n the space around w|res and
other obstruct|ons and |n ||||ng any
230 The Masterbu||der - January 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.|n
lnsu|at|on mater|a| can be |neect|ve | |t |s not |nsta||ed proper|y Spray oam |nsu|at|on work |n progress
InsuIation
MB Subscription form
odd|y-shaped areas. For ce||u|ose,
some orm o nett|ng |s used to ho|d the
ce||u|ose |n p|ace unt|| the drywa|| |s
|nsta||ed.
Concrete b|ock wa||s can a|so be
|nsu|ated. There are systems ava||ab|e
that have |n-bu||t sheets o po|ystyrene,
and others that are ho||ow po|ystyrene
b|ocks or ormwork that are then |||ed
w|th concrete. The ho||ow po|ystyrene
b|ocks prov|de very good |nsu|at|on
va|ues. A|ways get the contractor to
g|ve you a guarantee o the P-va|ue
and the th|ckness.
Variety of materials available & Cost
considerations
Ahuge var|ety o |nsu|at|on mater|a|s
|s ava||ab|e |n the market, each hav|ng
|ts pros and cons! The type o mater|a|
to be used depends on the requ|red
P-va|ue and both the bu|k type & the
re|ect|ve type |nsu|at|on mater|a|s are
emp|oyed |n vary|ng comb|nat|ons to
ach|eve the des|red outcome. Factors
aect|ng the type and amount o
|nsu|at|on tobe used|n a bu||d|ng|nc|ude
C||mate, ease o |nsta||at|on, durab|||ty,
|.e., res|stance to degradat|on rom
compress|on, mo|sture & decompos|t|on,
ease o rep|acement at end o ||e, cost
eect|veness, tox|c|ty, |ammab|||ty and
env|ronmenta| |mpact &susta|nab|||ty.
Some common type o |nsu|at|on
mater|a|s |nc|ude F|berg|ass, M|nera|
(Pock Or S|ag), Woo| & lts B|ends,
P|ast|c F|bers, Natura| F|bers, Pecyc|ed
Paper, Pum|ce, Fo||-Faced Krat Paper,
P|ast|c F||m, Po|ystyrene, Po|yethy|ene
Bubb|es, Cardboard, Po|yurethane
Foams etc. Other mater|a|s |ess
common|y used |nc|ude cork, wood
woo|, and straw. ln straw-ba|e
construct|on, very h|gh P-va|ues are
ach|eved rom th|ck wa||s o straw
p|astered on both s|des. Mater|a|s are
ma| n| y chosen based on the| r
app||cab|||ty to the |ocat|on, P-va|ue
and economy.
Obv|ous|y the cost-eect|veness o
|nsu|at|on depends on the mater|a|
chosen and the P-va|ue. ln new
construct|on, the cost o the extra
|nsu|at|on and wa|| ram|ng may be
oset by not requ|r|ng a ded|cated
centra| heat|ng or coo||ng system,
requ|red to ensure su|c|ent|y un|orm
therma| cond|t|ons. Pe|met |tt|ng, wh|ch
|s cheap & can be done on own |s
eect|ve |n keep|ng the room a|r rom
gett|ng beh|nd the curta|n and pump|ng
heat outs|de. Hot water cy||nder wraps
& P|pe |agg|ng are a|so cheap and one
can|nsta|| them h|mse|.
lnsu|at|on has today become a
necessary and popu|ar trend |n the
Pea| Estate |ndustry and |s act|ng as a
dr|ver or act|ve sa|es over the common
antes. Proper|y |nsu|at|ng your house
can save hundreds on your energy b|||s
and cut your greenhouse em|ss|ons. A
we||-|nsu|ated house requ|res |ess
heat|ng and coo||ng to ma|nta|n a
comortab|e |ndoor c||mate, and that
trans|ates d|rect|y |nto sma||er energy
b|||s. Bes|des, a we|| ma|nta|ned house
has a great resa|e va|ue and every one,
|nvar|ab|y have a sma|| bus|nessman |n
the|r m|nds who seeks pro|ts.
Construct|on experts thus r|ght|y say
"lnsu|ate today: save tomorrow!"
P|g|d po|yurethane oam |nsu|at|on mater|a|s are popu|ar |n the country today
232 The Masterbu||der - January 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.|n
InsuIation