A cavity wall can be found in almost every home built in the United Kingdom after 1920. This is a small gap between the two layers of brickwork that were used to construct the house. The hole is intended to keep dampness out of the walls and protect them from damage caused by exposure to the elements.
The outside layer of bricks may be pounded by rain, but the inside layer of bricks remains dry. This is effective for that purpose, but it introduces a new problem: heat loss from home.
Unfortunately, houses with this cavity gap lose a significant amount of heat through the walls without any insulation. Insulation is a good option if you want to save money on your energy bills while also reducing carbon emissions from your home.
The insulation prevents heat transfer through a cavity wall by filling the air space with heat-insulating material. This prevents convection and reduces space heating costs by immobilizing the air within the Cavity (air is still the actual insulator).
A cavity wall is also made up of two layers: an outside face and an internal block that can be load-bearing or not. A void called a “slide” separates these two layers.
The outer facing aims to absorb, to some extent, the rain that falls on its wall without sending it to the internal block. The dampness formed as a result is dried by the air that circulates through the slide. Hooks can be used to link the two levels in some circumstances.
The hollow wall is insulated by injecting insulation material via tiny holes in the house’s exterior wall. The holes are explicitly drilled into the mortar joints to make the operation simpler. The holes are pretty small, measuring roughly 2cm in size, and they are closed up after the insulation has been pumped through. Mineral wool, which is made out of glass fibres, is a typical form of insulation used in the UK. White foam is occasionally utilized since it is also effective in insulating a home. It’s not a massive project, but the amount of time it takes and the cost will vary depending on the size of the house, the difficulty of reaching the structure, and various other considerations.
This hollow wall technology is helpful since it allows for thinner walls without sacrificing absorption quality.
Insulating your home is a crucial aspect of being energy efficient and environmentally friendly. If you currently own a house, you may take steps to improve the insulation of your walls. This could save you hundreds of pounds per year on energy costs, which is an excellent idea in this unpredictable world. If you’re building a house, you should consider utilizing thermally insulated cavity closures, which help insulate the structure and make installing doors and windows considerably easier. You may also use a well-designed window board to give your window a pleasant appearance while also adding some insulation.
How to Install Insulation in Cavity Walls
Your installer should first inspect the walls to ensure that they are appropriate, in excellent repair, and free of moisture. They’ll next drill several small holes, use special equipment to blast insulation into the Cavity, and finally fill up the gaps with cement.
For an average-sized house with easy-to-access walls, a professional installer should be able to do the job in around 2 hours. They should also clean up after themselves, ensuring that you are not left with any mess!
They shouldn’t need to enter your home to do any of the tasks (though they may need to use your bathroom!). You’ll receive a warranty from the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) shortly after the work is completed, and your installer should provide written proof that the work meets building codes. Your local authority or the CIGA may also come out to undertake a spot check to ensure that the work is up to par.