Everyone knows the expression: warmth is not where it is heated well, but where it is protected. From this we can conclude that the question of how to keep heat in the house is by no means idle, but requires a serious approach. Analysis of heat loss in the house showed the following results:
- Losses through walls are 15-20%.
- 10-20% of heat escapes through the roof.
- Windows let in 20-30% of heated air.
- 30-35% of the heat “evaporates” through improperly equipped ventilation.
- The doors account for only 1-5%, but this cannot be neglected, because every percent of lost heat is wasted money.
The problems of heat loss in the house should also be taken seriously because the costs of storing thermal energy in winter will pay off in summer with reduced air conditioning costs.
Eliminating heat loss through walls
Insulation scheme for façade walls
If the heating in the room operates at the maximum permissible limits, and the temperature barely exceeds +18 ºС, then this already gives reason to think about it and identify the reason, which may be in an old boiler, leaky windows, doors, however, you need to start by checking the insulation of the facade. When heating the air in the room to a temperature from + 18 ºС to + 22 ºС, the walls should warm up to + 16 - 20 ºС. If the temperature is below the permissible level, this indicates a problem area that requires additional insulation. Another sign indicating a problem is an increase in humidity and the formation of condensation in a cooled area.
There are many ways to increase energy efficiency in cold areas of walls. You can, for example, insulate facades, taking into account the various characteristics of the thermal insulation material and choose the one that suits you. It should be taken into account that mineral wool insulation is effective only in a dry state, therefore such insulation should be located between hydro- and vapor barrier films. This is especially true. It is worth noting that when insulating walls with mineral wool from the inside of the walls, a mistake is made, since in this case condensation may form on the walls as a result of the difference in air temperature in the room and the temperature of the wall.
Of all building materials Walls with a thickness of 440 mm or more and a thickness of 350 mm or more cannot be insulated. If you are planning to build a new house, then you need to make the walls from materials with increased heat transfer resistance. This will save you money in the future, since heat prices, unfortunately, are constantly rising. In some cases, it is more rational to build thin walls and then insulate them.
Insulation of facade walls
To insulate the walls from the outside, use basalt or fiberglass mineral wool, as well as expanded polystyrene, the thickness of which is determined by a specialist. This takes into account the characteristics of the material from which the walls are laid, wind loads, the location of the house, and the purpose of the interior.
Insulation of external walls can occur different methods. But most often the so-called wet technology, in which a reinforcing layer is mounted on the insulation fixed to the wall, with plaster then applied to it. The “dry” technology method is also used - when a frame is made on the wall, to which it is then attached facing material ( , plastic panels etc.). The remaining gap between the wall and the cladding ensures the circulation of air flow, accumulating warm air in the gap.
There are situations when a house that has already been insulated previously requires local repairs to the walls in places where condensation occurs. In this case, all layers of thermal insulation are removed, the quality of the walls is checked and the problem area is re-insulated. When examining walls, special attention is paid to the joint angles of the outer walls, because these places are exposed to cold air from both sides. You can prevent this nuisance by installing a heating riser in the corner or rounding the corners.
Eliminating heat loss through the roof
Roof insulation
Of course, less heat escapes through the roof structure than through the walls, but it is still significant. A very important point in this situation is a preventive inspection of the entire roof, both outside and inside the attic. From the outside, check the integrity of the coating and its adherence to the ridge. Inside, the surface is carefully examined for the presence of mold and fungi. Defects can also be detected by the appearance of wet spots on the ceiling and walls of the last floor of the building.
Work to eliminate deficiencies is first carried out from the inside: the sheathing and thermal insulation layer are removed, and the insulation itself is checked. If wet and deformed slabs are detected, they are replaced and protected with a new waterproofing film. It happens that no defects were found, but the ceiling gets wet and a lot of heat escapes through the roof. In this case, the thermal insulation is insufficient and practically all of it must be replaced, of course, except for the finishing coating in the form of metal tiles, etc. And there are cases, especially in old buildings, that there is no insulation at all, then it will need to be equipped from scratch "
Heat loss through the roof is closely related to similar troubles affecting the walls, so before you tackle the walls, make sure that you do not have problems with the roof.
Elimination of heat loss through windows and doors
Window insulation
If the roof and walls are at rest, the same cannot be said about doors and windows, which constantly open and close, resulting in cold air entering the room. To identify problems, you need to carefully examine the sections of walls near doors and windows for wet spots, and also make sure there are no cracks.
You need to blow into the detected cracks polyurethane foam and cover these places with plaster. If the foam is not protected with plaster or at least putty, then as a result of atmospheric influences it will lose its thermal insulation properties. However, a more correct way is to seal the openings of windows and doors with waterproofing tape, onto which polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene is attached using glue, which in turn is covered with a plaster mesh and plastered.
Particular attention should be paid to the correct installation and finishing of the slopes, because if they are done poorly, then even the best ones will not help. The slopes are finished with plastic, moisture-resistant plasterboard or just plastered. However, in all cases it is necessary to correctly fulfill all the conditions for external waterproofing. For a tighter connection of the slopes to the window, special profiles are used.
After resolving issues with slopes, they move on to checking the condition of the windows and doors themselves, where special attention is paid to the quality of rubber seals, sagging window sashes and door leaves. If necessary, tighten hinges, handles and other fasteners.
Often the reason for the formation of condensation around the slopes of windows and doors is incorrect installation window sill, which covers a significant part of the heating element, if not all. Such installation of the window sill prevents the circulation of warm air in the room and, as a rule, wet spots form around the slopes, and over time, mold.
Elimination of heat loss through ventilation
Creating a favorable indoor climate is the key to the health of not only its inhabitants, but also the preservation of integrity building structures. Modern double glazed windows and window units in the closed position are completely sealed, so if there are only exhaust ducts in the room, and supply ventilation no, then you must make up for this deficiency by opening and closing windows several times a day.
However, this is a double-edged sword, because with the arrival of fresh air, warm air leaves the home at the same time. If you are faced with the task of effectively ventilating a room, then this is achieved through short-term and frequent manipulations with opening windows. Prolonged ventilation will lead to a significant decrease in room temperature and an increase in energy consumption.
The way out for effectively optimizing room ventilation is to use automated supply and exhaust ventilation. Structurally, it consists of an air supply unit, a fan, ventilation ducts and a recuperator in which fresh and exhaust air are mixed. The use of this system allows you to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Installing automated supply and exhaust ventilation requires significant financial costs, however, they are worth it, since installing a recuperator allows you to save heat in your home by 50-60%.
It is possible to more effectively identify areas that require correction using thermal imaging inspection, which can only be performed by specialists. Having a device called a “thermal imager” in their hands, they can easily determine from the picture on the device’s monitor where the heat is escaping. High speed of work, accuracy of results - all this speaks in favor of the device.
Question:
Please briefly describe the main ways of heat loss in the house
Answer:
Heat loss in the house occur mainly in three ways.
Direct heat transfer through walls, floors and ceilings. Due to the difference between internal and external temperatures, heat exchange occurs. Heat is transferred from the room to the outside. This method of heat loss is very significant in concrete structures. In other buildings other paths predominate heat leaks. The fact is that wood, brick, foam block, etc. have a fairly low thermal conductivity, and it is the thermal conductivity of the material of the walls, floor and ceiling that determines the level of heat loss. To reduce this type of loss, thermal insulation is used - materials with low thermal conductivity are laid in the walls, ceiling and floor. Usually this is mineral or glass wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, expanded clay. Usually a layer of 5 - 10 cm is sufficient.
Infrared radiation. All objects in the room are heated to room temperature. They emit infrared radiation, which penetrates outside, taking heat with it. The main way to combat this type of loss is to use a film along the thermal contour of the house that reflects thermal radiation, usually based on aluminum. This film not only helps to retain heat in winter, but also reduces the heating of the room in the summer heat.
Air flows. Air from the room, heated to room temperature, leaves the building and is replaced by cold air from the street. If such losses occur intensively, then drafts are observed in the house. It is impossible to completely exclude air exchange with the outside world; it is needed to maintain normal levels of humidity and the content of oxygen and carbon dioxide. But this process must be controlled, dependent on our will, and not on the air temperature outside and the wind. This is achieved by carefully sealing the room and making special blocked ventilation holes.
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It is well known that the world's natural resources of oil, gas, and coal are gradually drying up. This leads to higher energy costs.
The direct relationship between the amount of heat and the amount of heating fees makes many people think about reducing heat losses.
The question of how to reduce heat loss is especially relevant during preparation for winter. Moreover, it worries both owners of private houses and residents of high-rise buildings.
In practice, there are two ways to reduce heat loss in a house or apartment.
Simple methods - minimum costs
1. installation of a heat-reflecting (foil) screen near the radiator. The screen will reflect heat and direct it into the house, rather than heating the outside wall.
2. closing windows and doors. The easiest way to keep heat in your home is to close windows and doors tightly.
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3. insulation of windows and doors. Sealing where glass meets wooden frame, installing seals or simply covering cracks in windows will significantly reduce heat loss.
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4. eliminating window shading. The window allows up to 95% of sunlight to pass through and allows heat to accumulate inside the house. It’s not for nothing that most greenhouses are made of glass.
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5. proper ventilation. Ventilation is necessary to maintain a normal microclimate. But in order to save money, you need to ventilate not once a day for an hour, but several times for 15 minutes.
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6. replacing incandescent lamps with energy-saving or LED lamps. Thermal radiation of 85 BTU/hour does not compensate for their high cost of operation.
7. pipe insulation, if the heating device is located outside the house. Relevant for private homes.
8. sealing cracks in the wall with polyurethane sealants. They are flexible, “play” depending on temperature, frost-resistant, penetrate deep into cracks and do not peel off over time.
Radical or capital-intensive methods
This type combines all the ways to save money that require significant upfront costs.
1. total insulation. Relevant for buildings in use. Since, according to the first law of thermodynamics, heat from a heated house always goes into a colder environment, it is necessary to create an additional barrier to heat loss in the form of thermal insulation material. At the same time, walls, roof, foundation and openings need insulation.
As you can see, the largest amount of heat escapes through the walls. This is understandable, because the walls occupy a large area in relation to other surfaces. You also need to insulate walls wisely. Therefore, it is better to give preference to external insulation. This way you will protect the walls from freezing. The second most important area is the insulation of the basement and attic or floor/ceiling.
Insulating all this at once is expensive and difficult, and it may happen that insulation will be unnecessary. To understand what to do first, you need to identify those areas of the house through which heat escapes. A thermal imager is used for diagnostics. This tool will allow you to identify those areas in the house through which heat loss is most significant. This is where you should start working on insulating your home.
IN multi-storey building the wall, in fact, is the only source of losses, if it is not the first or last floors.
2. replacement of double-glazed windows. significantly reduce heat loss. Especially if they are multi-layered, i.e. have several chambers inside the profile and double glazed windows.
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3. replacement of radiators or heating system. For example, among others, cast iron radiators have the greatest heat transfer. Installing more advanced devices will reduce heat loss.
Nowadays, insulating houses is increasingly becoming a necessity. Insufficient thermal insulation causes heat loss, even if you use the most economical electric convector, as a result of which heating costs increase and there is a risk of damage to the walls due to frequent freezing.
However, the topic of insulation is very complex. One of the possible common solutions is to insulate the external walls of the house using external thermal insulation contact systems. External thermal insulation systems currently occupy one of the main places in insulation. Their advantage is their wide functional diversity, which makes it possible to manufacture a system for a specific construction site in accordance with customer requirements and local conditions.
Almost everyone is increasingly asking themselves: How to reduce heating costs at home? Is it possible to save something? Then we offer the solution to you. It is believed that mainly in a larger number of buildings (private or multi-apartment buildings) significant heat losses occur due to their insufficient thermal insulation. The lack of thermal insulation (insulation) not only entails large heat losses and ever-increasing heating costs, but also causes a high probability of destruction of walls due to freezing.
Should you insulate your home?
One of the big advantages is a significant reduction in heat loss through the walls. By reducing heat loss you will reduce the costs of your family budget..
External insulation of the house will prevent the walls from freezing, and the influence of temperature fluctuations will be limited. Insulating your home will extend the life of your home. During the cold season, the surfaces of insulated walls will have a higher internal temperature and will cool much more slowly. Conversely, in summer the walls will not heat up much, which will provide you with coolness and comfort in hot weather. Will improve temperature regime premises. By insulating your home, you prevent the walls from overcooling and condensation forming on them.
In a house that is not very insulated, significant heat loss occurs. The walls freeze - the freezing point is located approximately in the middle of the wall thickness.
Internal insulation of the house will limit heat loss, but such insulation will not prevent the walls from freezing. Such a system, without accumulating properties, with such insulation of the room quickly heats up, but also cools down quickly. In addition, condensation can form between the wall and the insulation, which can lead to mold.
With external insulation, the freezing point is in the insulation, so the walls do not freeze. With external insulation, the walls heat up and have the ability to accumulate heat, while heat loss is minimal.
Key words: How to reduce heat loss, winter time,Insufficient thermal insulation, functional diversity, destruction of walls from freezing, mold, heat accumulation, hypothermia of walls, condensation formation