External wall insulation
Advantages
- Reduces your bills by up to 35%
- Improves the thermal comfort in your home
- Serves as a noise barrier
- Increases fire resistance of your walls
- Helps prevent condensation on your walls and ceilings
- Reduces carbon dioxide pollution and climate change
- Payback period is 12+ years with an installation life of 25–30 years
- Thermal mass of the brick is left exposed, which means that the risk of your home overheating is reduced, especially as temperatures are going to rise in the future
- Reduces management and maintenance costs of your home
- Improves rain screen protection and appearance
- Does not require displacement while work is carried out
- Increases the value of your home
- Less risk of ill health
- Increase longevity extends lifespan of building
Installation and product information
Rockwarm arrange for the insulation of your property to be carried out by their teams of fully trained specialists, approved by certification of both the BBA (British Board of Agreement) and by Rockwool Approved Installers.
If you have a solid wall then you might consider external wall insulation because as much as 35% of the heat loss in a building is through solid walls.
External wall insulation works by adding a weatherproof insulating layer to the outside of your wall. This could be in the form of a protective render. The thickness of the insulation should be between 70 and 100mm thick.
The materials used for external wall insulation are often referred to as a "system" because there are three components that must work together:
- The insulation material
- The fixing of framework
- And the finishing layer, which is weatherproof and aesthetic
The type of system Rockwarm uses is known as Wet render systems. This involves the insulation being directly fixed to the existing wall. It is covered with a render basecoat incorporating a reinforcing mesh, followed by a render topcoat with the desired finish. This can include a polymeric coating that does not require painting.
Planning Permission
External insulation often requires planning consent since it changes the appearance of a house and is generally regarded by planners as a material alteration to the building. This is particularly relevant in conservation areas, for listed buildings and in areas of outstanding natural beauty. However, modern systems can often be designed to match the original façade, thus increasing the chances of planning permission being granted.
Example of external solid wall insulation
- Existing wall
- Polymer adhesive
- EPS board or Rockwool
- Anti-crack mortar
- Mesh
- Anchor nail
- Anti-crack mortar
- Elastic putty
- Finish coat
