Frequently Asked Questions
Insulation
What is insulation?
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 that you are paying for stays within your four walls.
Why Insulate?
- Save money on your fuel bills
- Grants available as of April 2009
- Adds value & salability to your home
- Protect the environment & reduce Co2 emissions
Where does the heat go?
What is the U-value?
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.
Attic Insulation
How is the Attic Insulation installed? Insulation is blown in, using an insulation hose, or rolled out across the attic space to a dept of approx 270mm, which complies with current building regulations.
Some of my attic is floored, what should I do? If you have existing flooring in your attic, Dunboy Greener Homes will raise the flooring to suitable level to allow the required amount of insulation to be fitted and can provide extra flooring if required.
How Long does it take to install attic insulation?
The average attic can be completed in about 2 hours.
Why insulate the attic?
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.
What will I save by insulating my attic?
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. (S.E.I. - A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)
Will there be any damage done to my ceiling during installation?
Absolutely, none.
Cavity wall Insulation
What is a cavity wall?
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.
How is cavity wall insulation installed?
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.
Will I be left with a series of holes in the exterior walls of my house?
Once installation is complete the technician will ensure all holes are filled.
My House already has Aero board in the cavity, can I fill the remainder of the Cavity with the Cavity Wall Insulation product?
Yes of course. The remainder of the cavity can be filled with Cavity Wall Insulation.
How long does it take?
Cavity Wall Insulation normally takes around two hours to install, but the time does depend on the size of the house and other factors, such as access.
Is my house suitable?
Before installation, a trained Energy Advisor, from Dunboy Greener Homes, will undertake an assessment of your property to confirm that it is suitable for insulation.
Do I have to do anything before the installation?
The drilling process does create some vibration – so it would be wise to remove ornaments, particularly near external walls, for their safety and your peace of mind.
Is it a messy job? 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 be advised to remove vehicles from the drive way.
Does the Insulation Technician have to come into the house?
The technician 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.
My house is semi-detached, so how do I stop insulation going into my neighbour’s cavity?
Assuming your neighbour's house is not already insulated, the technician will insert a cavity barrier at the party wall line. Of course, if your neighbour's house is insulated at the same time, the cavity barrier is not needed.
Are the Insulation technicians trained?
All our technicians undergo training by our product supplier, Rockwool, to ensure they are competent to install both the Attic & Cavity Wall Insulation. Please feel free to ask to see our installers’ training cards on the day of installation.
Why insulate the walls?
Up to half the heat loss from a house occurs through the walls, this can be reduced by two thirds by insulating the walls. (S.E.A.S. - A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)
What will I save by insulating cavity walls?
The S.E.I. state that by insulating cavity walls you will have an annual fuel saving of €100-€160, and the pay back period is between 4 and 7 years. (Saving are based on initial space heating costs of €650 excluding standing charges) (S.E.I. - A Detailed Guide to Insulating your Home)
Attic Stairs
How long will it take to install the attic stairs?
It will take approximately four hours to install your stairs.
Will my ceiling be damaged during the installation of the stairs?
No, an opening shall be cleanly cut out of the ceiling slightly larger than the stairs, the stairs will be fitted, and an architrave will be placed around the trap door similar to the trap doors in most new houses.
Will there be a draught coming from the trap door after the stairs is fitted?
No, the trap door is fitted with a draught excluder.
Is the trap door insulated?
Yes, the trap door is insulated.
Will the carpet be all dust after the stairs is fitted?
No, our installer will lay down a dust sheet before he begins the installation, this will keep the area around the works clean. When complete he will remove the dust sheet and it’s contents.
Will there be marks on the walls when the installation is complete?
No, all our Tradesmen have vast experience working in completed Homes and they take due care.
Lagging Jacket
Why should I fit a lagging jacket?
An 80mm lagging jacket can cut heat loss by 75% and could pay for itself in just a few months. Even if you’re lagging jacket is less than 75mm thick it is worth getting a new one.
