Insulation in homes is not a new concept as man has always felt a desire to shield him from extreme cold or heat. In the South African perspective our old farm houses and other buildings for instance was built with very thick wall surfaces to keep heat out in summer time and to help in keeping the heat in at wintertime. This was completed with the main aim of peace of mind in mind. Today, while comfort remains important, in addition there are other considerations, like the availability of cooling and heating resources and the price thereof, apart from the present day deliberation over any effect on the environment in the output of electricity and other fuels. This means most of the consideration for effective insulation in real estate, today, is related to the saving of energy cost to the user, as well as to limit the consumption of energy, by employing efficient insulation.

So, you will find 5 major reasons for using effective insulation in homes today, namely: the cost of energy, to save on the amount of energy, to prevent heat entering the house in summer and to prevent warmth escaping the home in the wintertime in addition to stop the escape of heat into the environment through piping and geysers. The cost of energy is rising all the time and the cost of electricity to the normal South African is spiralling out of reach. The argument that South African electricity is the most affordable in the world unfortunately is not a significant debate to the paying community as the cost remains too expensive by all but the wealthy homes. It consequently, makes sense to limit the use of energy and electricity in particular. You will find only two ways in achieving such goal, i.e. through the use of power efficient appliances but moreover through efficient insulation of our households. Preventing heat escaping our homes is best accomplished through insulation of the roof, windows, walls and warm water piping and the heating device. The insulation of roofs can be affected through the use of a number of products, but one of the more potent seems like a product produced from re-cycled paper that is dispersed into the ceiling totally covering the surface including all the crannies. This is great at preventing heat getting away through the roof but will also prevent heat from getting into the house through the roof in summer season. The outside walls of the house, at the very least, should have an insulating solution applied between the two brick layers. Polystyrene in the form of sheets or pellets should be placed between the 2 brick levels of the walls to achieve the same functionality as in ceiling insulation. Care needs to be exercised in the selection of windows to make sure that they close tightly and against as closure to prevent heat escaping through windows. The ideal naturally is to use new double glazing, but that is expensive and in our climate probably not required. The geyser needs to be fitted with an insulating blanket and copper pipes wrapped with an insulating material. This way your house will be insulated against heat loss.

Exactly the same reasoning should apply in the insulation of your home from heat entering the home in summer.