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Loft insulation?

10 replies

Waitforwhat · 26/06/2021 22:47

We are not planning a loft conversion, but just wondering if it’s worth to insulte the space just to save on heating? With both me and DH working from home lately our bill this winter was quite high 🤔

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QuiltingFlower · 26/06/2021 22:54

Check this out
www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

Waitforwhat · 27/06/2021 14:59

Thank you! I am also interested in experiences of just weather this will keep the place warmer in the long run

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PigletJohn · 27/06/2021 15:05

do you mean insulate the "floor" of the loft to prevent heat escaping from the heated rooms below?

Waitforwhat · 27/06/2021 15:36

We already have some insulation on the floor of the loft but don’t think it’s v efficient. I honestly have no idea of whether we need to reinsulate the floor or just leave that in and do the between the rafters? Please enlighten me!

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PigletJohn · 27/06/2021 15:48

how deep are the timbers on the "floor" of the loft?

What colour is the insulation, and how deep is it?

can you see the underside of the tiles/slates on the roof, or is there felt, membrane, paper or wooden boards beneath them?

Does your roof have reinforcing timbers in a "W" shape (trussed rafters)?

How old is the house?

Are you in Scotland?

Waitforwhat · 27/06/2021 17:15

Thanks @PigletJohn for the reply!

The loft is part boarded, but at a guess the timbers on the floor are about 10/15 cm.

The current insulation in place is a brownish colour (is that wool?)

We have felt/membrane under the roof tiles and it has w-shaped supporting trusses.

The house was built in the 1990s and we’re not in Scotland 😊

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PigletJohn · 27/06/2021 18:46

if the roof timbers are 150mm deep, you can lay mineral wool to that depth and it will give you pretty good insulation, while also allowing you to part-board the loft (if you want to) for storage or occasional walking.

The modern standard is 250mm insulation, which is better, but due to diminishing returns on increased thickness, not so much better that it is worth losing the ability to wak around in the loft.

If the timbers are only 100mm deep, I would be thinking about increasing the depth. There are a few ways you can do this that we can explore.

Assuming you are not short enough to want to walk about in the edges of the loft, you can certainly fill to timbers depth, and lay an additional layer over the top, using a roll about 1200mm wide.

You must not block the eaves which provide vital ventilation to prevent damp. Preferably you should be able to peer down and see daylight on both sides of the loft. If not you can pull back the quilt a bit, or trim it with giant scissors. It is OK to rest on the inner leaf of bricks and the cavity.

Brown mineral wool is likely to be the more modern sort, much better than old yellow fibreglass that sheds irritant dust and fibres. If you buy any more, look for rolls treated with "Ecose" to prevent it. It is made by Knauf but also sold as an own-brand. Ecose will be marked on the roll wrapper.

The felting or membrane will keep your loft reasonably clean. Felt is thick and stiff, made with tar. membrane is like a thin soft cloth fabric, it is a breathing material like gore-tex, so is better.

The W shape holds the roof in shape and must not be cut or removed. It shows that the roof structure has been built to a calculated strength sufficient to hold the weight of the tiles, snow, and the plaster ceiling, with litte extra, and insufficient for grand pianos, filing cabinets, or parties.

Scottish roofs are generally different from English roofs (better).

Buttonupbitches · 27/06/2021 18:48

If you aren’t using the loft as a room then you should insulate under your feet, maintaining ventilation in the loft via the eaves to minimise the risk of condensation forming within the roof void. This is a cold roof.

If you want to use the loft as a heated, habitable space then the insulation needs to be placed within the rafter zone, at the pitch of the roof above your head. Ventilation should then be directed and maintained over the rafters (minimum 50mm).

Any insulation below your feet will then really only perform as an acoustic insulation (there will be minimal heat loss between the heated space in the room below and the loft itself).

Chumleymouse · 27/06/2021 21:13

The roof space of a cold roof should be the same temperature as the outside to avoid any condensation buildup. That why you just insulate the floor to keep the heat in the house.

Waitforwhat · 27/06/2021 21:38

Thank you all for educating me on this! 😬 I will need to go to the loft again and inspect the depth of floor and type of insulation we have (not sure now if it’s yellow or brown as it’s quite dark up there 🙈!)

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