External Wall Insulation Systems

Other Benefits of External Wall Insulation

Lower monthly energy bills: Homeowners add insulation to their homes for two fundamental reasons: 1) to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and 2) to reduce their monthly energy bills. External wall insulation is one of the best ways for someone whose home has solid external walls to achieve both of those goals.

A reduced carbon footprint: Of course in this day and age everyone is ultra-conscious of the need to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Fortunately, insulation on your solid external walls will reduce the amount of energy you use that is generated by fossil fuels thereby significantly reducing your carbon footprint.

Eliminating draughts: A lot of older homes are draught machines. In the past, the typical response to draughty walls was to pile on the blankets while you watched the telly. Today, the nearly airtight seal produced by external wall insulation provides a better way to deal with the issue.

Better sound insulation: The civilised world is a much noisier place than it used to be. One of the unintended but very real benefits of external insulation on your solid walls is that it will not only keep heat in, it will do a bang-up job keeping noise out. As a result your home will not only be more comfortable, it will be a more peaceful place as well.

Enhanced home valuation: Real estate industry studies confirm that an energy-efficient home will fetch more at sale time than a comparable home with poor insulation. That enhanced value has many benefits of its own. For instance, the higher the value of a home the more you will be able to borrow against it should you ever need or want to.

Reduced threat of mould: We tend to think of mould as an unsightly inconvenience. But it is potentially much more than that. There are several types of mould found in homes that can create respiratory distress, allergies, and even potentially deadly conditions such as histoplasmosis. External wall insulation seals your home up tight against moisture and, by extension, against the development of mould

Are There Disadvantages to External Wall Insulation?

There are downsides to everything and this type of insulation is no exception. The important thing is to weigh any potential downsides against the benefits. In this case, we are confident you will agree that the benefits of applying external insulation to solid walls far outweigh the disadvantages. Nonetheless, in the spirit of full disclosure here are the most commonly noted potential disadvantages of external insulation:

Gaps & cracks in the surface: Any gaps or cracks in the surface of the insulations can lead to moisture penetration. Once moisture finds its way inside the external insulation stack it will be devilishly difficult to purge it. However, if the application is performed correctly this should not be a problem. And this is one big reason we always recommend you have this type of insulation professionally applied.

Not suitable for all homes: Even if your home has solid exterior walls there is little chance you will be able to apply external insulation to it if it is a Listed Building, or it is located in a Conservation Area. Why? Because the external insulation will alter the appearance of the building.

Window wells: External insulation can be pretty thick. When this thickness is added to the existing depth of the solid external wall there’s the potential to create a “well-like” phenomenon around some windows and doorways. A talented professional may be able to mitigate that effect to some degree.

Cost: Everyone is budget-conscious these days and for good reason. That said, this type of insulation is not cheap and you will want to keep that in mind.

External Wall Insulation and Planning Permission

We alluded to this earlier but it warrants a bit of extrapolation.

One of the most common questions we at Licata get about external wall insulation is whether the homeowner will need to get planning permission to install it. As is the case with most things related to home improvement the answer is: it depends.

The local authority is tasked with ensuring that homeowners and commercial developers are not able to make impulsive changes to their properties that would clash with or undermine the existing character of a neighbourhood.

With that mandate in mind, it is possible that you will need to obtain planning permission for external wall insulation if that insulation is going to fundamentally alter the appearance of your home. It’s important to note, however, that sometimes this type of insulation will only generate a modest change in the appearance of a house. Rather like that which occurs when a home is painted. In which case planning permission may not be required.

We recommend homeowners take a cautious approach and raise the issue with their local authority rather than simply barreling ahead with the process and seeing what happens. It is very possible you will be given the green light without having to obtain official permission and members of the local authority will appreciate your considerate approach.

External Wall Insulation and Solid Stone Walls

“Solid” stone walls are often no such thing. Rather, they have a cavity between an internal and an external stone skin that is typically filled with various types of rubble. To make a long story short you can use external wall insulation on this type of stone wall but it is imperative that you choose the right type. If you choose the wrong type you run the risk of not producing any measurable benefit, other than perhaps increased sound insulation. Talk to a professional before attempting to add this type of insulation to a stone wall.