House Insulation and bamboo flooring?

Question

Hi,

In building our new home, we are now looking at insulation. We have been told by everyone around us that insulation is the key, if we want an energy efficient home.

My question is, can you have too much insulation? We are based in Wales, UK, so I realise that we are not exactly blessed with the weather but I also don't want to live in a sauna by going over the top with the insulation!

I know we are going to have insulation in the roof/cavity and double glazing everywhere but can you ever over heat a house this way?

Also, does anyone have any experience of using bamboo flooring? Is it harder to put down that other wood flooring or has anyone had any problems with it after a period of time.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Insulation is a serious consideration for the new homes of the 21st century! You are wise to consider it.

Over-insulation is not possible. So the simple answer to your question is that no, you cannot over-heat your home by going for broke.

Insulation is not the creating of an airtight box, but rather the ensuring that heat you create with the use of central heating or direct heating (fires etc) is not lost via the traditional "weak" spots in your home.

The greatest loss of heat is via the windows. Obviously you know this. Roof voids are also big issues, predominantly for heat lost through the top rooms.

By ensuring that the windows and walls are well insulated and that the roof has plenty of insulation you are going to need to heat less, yes. But considering that you are likely to be looking at regulated central heating you are going to save, not overheat your home. Basically the regulator will cut off the boiler sooner because less of the heat output is lost due to poor insulation. So- easier to heat and quicker too! This is where the saving is. :-)

Overheating or airlessness is an issue only where the heating is unregulated, turned up too high and where you never open doors and windows or have approved ventilation underfloor and etc.

So- no more airless or overly hot than a less well insulated house with more heating.

:-)

HOWEVER- you DO need to balance ventilation with insulation just as much as you would have to without. Seen that news feature about the students and the cold house with mould? Heh- their "home" has inadequate ventilation regardless of the fact that it is NOT heated or well enough insulated (note how the young lady reported that they see their breath on a morning!).

So- over insulation is not the issue. Inadequate temperature control and/or ventilation could be.

Bamboo flooring- it is likely you are talking of the click-fit flooring from someplace like Homebase?

I have actually bought (not yet fitted) bamboo real wood flooring and know, from having grown up in India where it is used a lot, that it is a harder wood than most hard woods we'd normally use. It is a fairly "glassy" wood and as such has a very good capacity to withstand fairly strong use.

How good a flooring your bamboo flooring is probably also depends on the quality (price?).

And that is the only thing- because of the smaller surface area of bamboo it is a patchwork wood and seams are always a point of weakness. :-) The better the quality the less an issue it will be. As you will appreciate.

Answer 2

uk weather is not too bad and i personally disagree with lots of these comments,i truly believe you can have too much insulation,we have over the last few years had cavity wall insulation done and the extra loft insulation as per current guide lines,also changed from wood to double glazed upvc windows and doors.now the downside,its warm and great in the winter but man do we burn up in the summer,so much so that we now have ceiling fans in every room and they run 24 hours a day.everything has a down side and truly i dont think we save such an amount on the heating once its offset against all the electric for all the fans all summer.

Answer 3

Hi, Harri, greetings from the colonies. I live in New England.It gets a tad chilly here.. What are you going to use for wall studs??? If you use 2 x 4 construction use 4" insulation, like wise if you use 2x6 walls use 6" ins..Make sure,contractors are sloppy, that the insulation is tight to the top and to the bottom of each bay. Leave no holes or gaps. If you stuff 6" ins in a 4" bay it will compress the ins. If it is compressed it, in essence, becomes more like a solid and defeats the ins. value...You cannot make it to tight. The better the ins the better the comfort and more even the heat.. The attic should have about 10" of ins.. either blown in or in tightly fitting batts.Type in Owens Corning or whatever English companies there are and request info on their products..A little research now could save a bunch on your heating bill's..Hope you enjoy your new home..Bamboo floors, exotic hard material..Don't know a thing about it.....Buzz

Answer 4

I have water treated bamboo on my floor in my kitchen and bathroom. I love it. Just installed it, or rather had it done. I would say this on insulation. There can be too much and not properly installed. You need to make sure you can have breathing chambers for your roof so moisture buildup will not rott your wood. I am not sure of the weather there but if you ask your local insulation person to come out and give you an idea of how much then you can use their expertise. Its kind of mean but you will have an idea of how to do it. Also if you have home improvement centers they can take the pitch of your roof plus footage and figure it in a formula. Good luck. The bamboo is beautiful and its very earth friendly!

Answer 5

Insulate to meet or exceed local building codes but avoid overkill. From an economics and return on investment point of view, you can overinsulate. Assuming you add the proper amount of insulation according to code and directions, and properly install double or triple pane windows, that's all you can do. Make sure you have installed a proper vapor barrier between interior areas and the insulation material. Use ceiling fans to circulate warm air from high ceilings to floor level. Caution: make sure the living space of your home is well ventilated and that your furnace/boiler is well ventilated with access to adequate air for combustion. If you close up your home too tight, you can both deplete the oxygen and build up "indoor pollution" such as volatiles from foam, plastics, adhesives, paints, etc. Regardless of how much heating energy you want to conserve, you still have to breathe and stay alive. Also, watch how you insulate around water pipes. You don't want to insulate in such a way that heat can't get to the pipes and prevent them from freezing. If necessary, insulate the pipes too (do it properly) or apply electric heat tape as needed.

Answer 6

Insulation only slows the transfer of heat energy. This allows you to heat or cool the building with less energy. It also stops drafts, so the house has a more uniform climate. Your sauna fears are groundless. I'm a contractor in New England. Bamboo floors will serve you well.

Answer 7

You can over insulate. Insulation should not be packed to tightly, or you may end up with it sweating. this will cause moisture problems.

I have installed a few bamboo floors over the years, and they have all stood up well. It is hard like oak, and installs the same way.

Answer 8

you cannot use to much insulation in the loft, it is usualy sold in rolls get the thickest and lay it between the joists, the house will not become a sauna, you will just use less energy to heat the house get a thermostat fitted to the heating system set the tempreture and when it reaches that heat, your boiler will cut off untill the house cools down, more insulation = less heating bills

Answer 9

Its unlikely that you can have too much insulation in any UK house. You need to stop draughts too and most British houses have plenty of those. But having stopped all the uncontrolled draughts, you need to make sure you have proper controlled ventilation to avoid condensation problems. Check the energy saving websites to get advice, there is plenty of it.

Answer 10

I have been in insulation /Sheetrock for 13 years in a 2x4 stud wall r-13 is standard in USA south east mostly hot year around.in attic r-30 is standard in 2x4 wall you could up grade to a r-15 as some one else said your attic has to breathe properly for eff ency in heat and moisture r30 in a batted style is about 10in. blown style is roughly 13in I have about 40in in my attic i would suggest to get what you can afford up grade walls you can always add to attic later it would be costly to try to up grade walls later