Loft Conversion Insulation

Insulating a loft conversion can often be tricky, so make sure that insulation requirements are taken into consideration throughout the process of planning your loft conversion. As loft conversions are generally being changed into a habitable room, the new space must fulfil building regulations for thermal efficiency, which stipulate a U-value for the speed of heat loss through an area. These values are set differently for walls, floors, windows and roofs, with flat roofs required to satisfy a different value to pitched ones. As with insulating many areas, it is often cost effective to insulate beyond the building regulations requirement as it can help save on your energy bills. The trickiest part of insulating a loft conversion is generally the restrained space. Space saving insulation methods are in many cases utilised in loft conversions as these will offer good insulation despite being very thin. When planning a loft conversion, check that there is enough space designed for both the conversion itself and the mandatory insulation, as the insulation will lower the ceiling height of the converted room. Dormer windows and rooflights will have to be insulated sufficiently. These areas require extra care when planning insulation, particularly with flat roofed dormer windows, as these may well have to conform to a different U-value than the surrounding pitched roof.