How to insulate the house from the cold? A short guide to the thermal insulation of the dwelling
What could be better than coming home after a day out and about in the cold winter and typically find that warmth and the warmth that lose out in life? By now the cold is coming and heating their home is a thought for everyone, also accompanied by an attempt to save it as much as possible. There are several solutions and a few tricks against the cold in a statement. You can start saving on home heating primarily by reducing heat losses that most affect fuel consumption.
In addition to be checked and, if necessary replace the old boiler, set the thermostat to the right temperature, you need to think isolation. This is the most important feature to maintain a warm in winter and cool in summer. To save must therefore ensure that you have the right level of insulation starting from the attic to the interior walls.
First, we can start with the insulation of the exterior walls of the house that give use of polystyrene panels. In addition to cost little, polystyrene has an excellent performance: being a good thermal insulator does not rot, does not go moldy and does not create bacteria. And 'non-toxic, inert and contains no CFCs nor HCFCs. The price, then, is really ridiculous: about 5 euro per square meter. This material is also used for insulation in buildings because it does not constitute a threat to the environmental health and groundwater resources, by not releasing toxic gases also has no particular concern for the preservation of health. To obviate the use of polystyrene, you can opt for the physical movement of all the furniture in the house on the walls toward the outside. This allows you to lower losses due to cold that penetrates the walls but, of course, has a lower yield and less efficient.
We continue with the isolation of the fixtures that in addition to saving on heating, reducing drafts, are also effective for summer cooling. The only way the fixtures are energy-efficient, which unfortunately are not within economic reach of all. If we can not afford spending so high for the replacement of old fixtures can save by replacing the blinds (cost less than fixtures). The blinds should be preferably in silver or white (colors that turn the heat while maintaining the product inside the home).
So, we think of the double glazing strictly not to disperse the heat to the outside. The principle of the double glazing is based on the fact that the installation assumes precisely the use of two spaced panes. The more the plates are separated from each other, the greater will be the isolation achieved. For installation you can replace the old windows with new plates or alternatively you can add a second frame to the existing allowing you to have two overlapping windows. Online there are several guides that explain in detail how to mount them yourself double glazing windows and doors in a simple, effective and economical.
To reduce drafts coming into the house we can also apply the waterproof tents at the windows, preferably outside. Another trick: the adhesive pads that cost a few Euros, they fit easily with the adhesive film in each and serve to prevent cold air entering the house. Unfortunately, besides the price, is very low even their effectiveness.
The salvaspifferi: those old grandmothers snakes of cloth, filled with sand, leaning against the lower edges of doors and windows are an ancient method to prevent cold air to pass through. There are more modern versions and more efficient composed of two rolls of insulating material coated with PVC. The so-called intelligent salvaspifferi slips under the door and the two rollers are positioned one inside and one outside so as to completely block drafts. Being stuck in the rollers move together when the door is closed or opened without needing to be moved each time.
You can reduce your heating costs by taking other simple steps.
Insulating sheets for radiators: aluminum sheets that insulate from the cold and spread the heat coming from the radiators in the environment, preventing heat loss. Are on the market already equipped with double-sided adhesive for easy application.
Thermal Insulation of heating pipes through insulated with special thermal insulating sheaths.
Facilitate the transmission of heat into the environment avoiding covering the radiators with curtains or coatings.
Vent on a regular basis radiator valves to optimize the yield.
Finally, we evaluate the pros and cons of the heat sources that we use for our homes.
The fireplace is a great choice as well as fascinating and can heat a room in minutes. At the same time has drawbacks such as air leakage in the wall. In fact, a fireplace damper left open when not in use is a way to let cool air in the house through the chimney. After each use, close the damper and, above all, open it before you decide to enjoy the fire to prevent your house to fill with smoke.
The air vents and radiators may not represent items of furniture because, being designed to be more functional than anything else, I'm not aesthetically beautiful. Move the furniture or try to cover the air vents to make the environment more beautiful, obstructs the flow of air preventing the spread of the air flow throughout the room. A adoptable trick is to paint the air vents or radiators the same color of the wall or floor.
Ceiling Fans. The houses with high ceilings are really characteristics but also extremely expensive in terms of heating. Thanks to ceiling fans is possible to push the air, which salt remains trapped in the top, downwards along the walls. The circulation of air through the room will heat the room more evenly facilitating the work of the stove or convector to keep the room at a comfortable temperature.
The stoves heat up a space in a few minutes, but can be very dangerous and costly.
Finally, returning to thermal insulation, carpets often used only as a design element in a room can play an important role during the winter months. They add another layer of insulation to the ground, trapping the cold and preventing infiltration and cooling of the room.
19/12/2012
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Translated via software
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Source:
Italian version of ReteArchitetti.it