17 June 2020
Heating bills are regular and one of the biggest burdens on the household budget. The amount of the bills depends on many factors, such as the temperature during the winter months and personal needs. If the amounts on the printed materials even in a warm winter are sticking in the armchair – it’s time to change that! How can you easily reduce your heating bills for a house that is just being built or was built a long time ago?
Saving on heating bills should start with wise investments. Already during the construction of the house, it is necessary to ensure that each stage of implementation is carried out correctly – so that the foundations do not get wet, the walls do not crack, the roof does not leak.
However, when considering how to reduce your heating bills, you should first and foremost rely on adequate insulation. This heat retention in the four walls has a key impact on the temperature in the building.
Well-made thermal insulation is also a concern for the environment. Reducing the operating time of the stove – no matter what fuel is used in it – always contributes at some stage to reducing the release of Co2 into the atmosphere. Expenditure on insulation, preferably of as high quality as STYROFOAM™, is therefore both a fast-recovery financial investment and a relief to the environment.
STYROFOAM™ – what is it and how does it differ from ordinary mineral wool or polystyrene? How to reduce heating bills with this insulation? These blue insulation boards from DOW appeared in construction as early as the 1950s. They have come a long way – today they are still being improved as one of the best proposals of this type on the market.
Extruded polystyrene is used for their production – it is pressed into moulds and foamed. Thermal insulation panels of this type are so universal that they can be used for almost anything: for insulating foundations, basements, floors on the ground, as well as external walls, roofs, roof parking lots, terraces and many others.
STYROFOAM™ is used in projects to reduce heating bills in private buildings, but also in agricultural constructions, silos, commercial buildings and industry.
What are the benefits of using STYROFOAM™ – what does it mean to help reduce bills? Above all, this is because its advantages include:
– Heat conduction coefficient – 0.036-0.033 W/(mK);
– High resistance to mechanical loads such as compressive, tensile, bending and shear;
– Low water absorption, no capillary rise, high resistance to steam diffusion;
– Resistance to fungi and mould;
– No susceptibility to biological corrosion;
– Versatile use;
– Frost resistance
– Resistance to fire – the panels are self-extinguishing, do not ignite or spread fire;
– The fact that STYROFOAM™ panels are manufactured using materials that are neutral to human health and the environment.
Current studies of structures using this technology already several decades ago show that these properties do not change over time! Including STYROFOAM™ in a construction project will therefore always be a bull’s-eye and an investment that will pay off already in the first heating season.
How to reduce heating bills in facilities that already exist? First of all, you need to identify where the heat “escapes”. In this case, it is worthwhile to invest in a thermal camera test.
A specialist using this type of equipment will thoroughly examine the whole house and check which elements are leaking. Experts say that after such a test and recommended changes, the bills can be reduced even to ¾!
Knowing what should be insulated, it’s also worthwhile to lean towards STYROFOAM™ boards in places where this is possible. After consultation with an insulation service provider, the investor will find out how best to do it, bringing real financial benefits over time.
