Insulation Perth keeps the air in your home at a comfortable temperature, lowers heating and cooling costs and prevents moisture problems like mold and rot.
It works by reducing heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation. It can be blown or foamed into place and is typically installed in walls, attics, and basements.
Insulation is essential for a home’s energy efficiency, keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It is also a key component of sound control, helping to keep unwanted noise out and creating a peaceful atmosphere inside the home. Insulation is effective and inexpensive, often paying for itself through energy savings in less than a year.
There are many different types of insulation, and each one is designed to trap or repel heat, depending on how it is constructed. The type of insulation you choose depends on your climate and the types of heating and cooling systems you have. Insulation is rated by the amount of heat it resists, known as its R-value.
The simplest form of insulation is a material blanket that prevents heat transfer. Fiberglass and plastic foam are common insulators because they have small air bubbles that slow the flow of heat energy. They are very good at reducing thermal transfer, so they reduce your energy bills by lowering the time your heating or cooling system runs.
Other forms of insulation include cellulose (recycled paper fiber), polyester matting, and spray foam. Spray foam is a popular choice for new construction and the best insulation for hard-to-reach areas, such as attics. It is sprayed on, and the foam expands to fill the area, creating a tight seal. Blown-in cellulose or fiberglass is another option for existing homes, and it works well in wall cavities.
Mineral wool is another type of insulation that is typically sprayed on or loose-fill. It is available in batts. It can be installed in walls, attics, and ceilings, and it is fire- and water-resistant.
Foam board insulation, or cellulose, is usually installed on walls and floors. It is thick and dense, with high R-values. It can be sprayed on or in rigid foamboards and is suitable for any house room. Structural insulated panels are a type of foam insulation that is sandwiched between structural facings, such as oriented strand board or plywood. The resulting structure is very strong and can be used for floors, foundation walls and basements, exterior walls and low-sloped ceilings. They are generally made of polystyrene, extruded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate.
Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of energy through direct contact between adjacent particles within a material. The material itself does not move, but the thermal energy of its atoms and molecules is transferred to its neighbors through vibrations and collisions. Materials that conduct thermal energy efficiently are called good conductors; those that transfer less well are called insulators.
Metals are good conductors of heat because they have many atoms that are in close contact with each other and can vibrate very quickly. Liquids and gases do not conduct heat well because they have more random movements of their molecules, making them much slower at transferring energy.
When one end of a metal bar is heated, its molecules vibrate faster and with greater amplitude than those at the cold end. This vibrational energy passes through the metal bars to its other end, warming it up. The process continues until the temperature gradient decays and a state of thermal equilibrium is reached.
Conduction of electrical energy, however, is not governed by the same laws. In order to conduct electricity, the electrons must be free of their bonds with the atoms of the metal. These free electrons can move much more rapidly, and they will crash into the atoms of other metals, transferring their energy in the process.
This is why it is important to use insulated wires when connecting electronic devices, and it is also important to treat conductors with abundant caution. If a wire becomes damaged or loses its insulation, then the electricity will flow freely through that part of the circuit and can cause fires or injuries.
Luckily, nature provides us with many natural insulators that keep us warm and healthy. Birds, mammals and humans have feathers, fur, and natural fibers that are excellent insulators. Sea otters, whales and penguins have thick layers of blubber that also prevent heat loss. This natural insulation allows them to live in harsh, cold ocean environments without freezing. The insulated properties of these materials are the same that make them effective building materials for homes.
Convection
Convection is a method of heat transfer that transports groups of molecules from place to place within a fluid or gas, and is one of the three primary methods of thermal energy transfer (the others are radiation and conduction). The movement of liquids and gases creates convection currents. These are caused by differences in density and temperature across a fluid’s surface that cause the warmer regions to rise and the colder regions to sink. The motion of these convection currents also contributes to the formation of clouds, and it is this movement that causes thunderstorms.
For example, when a heated air vent in your home is turned on and the warm air moves away from the heater and up towards the ceiling this is due to convection. Warmer air is less dense than cooler air, so it rises displacing the cooler air below it. As the rising hotter air displaces the cooler air it cools down, and so on, in a cyclical process. This is called free or natural convection and is the dominant form of heat transfer in liquids and gases.
When the Rayleigh number reaches a critical value above which conduction begins, significant differences in the properties of the fluid may develop. As these parameters begin to differ significantly, the symmetry of the system breaks down and the flow of the fluid changes from flowing horizontally to forming hexahedral patterns, such as those shown in this color schlieren image. These hexahedral patterns are known as convection cells and are the primary mode of heat transfer in the mantle of the Earth and many other stars, planetary interiors, and oceans.
In contrast to convection, which relies on the free movement of particles to transfer heat, conduction happens at the atomic level and requires direct contact between the materials that are being heated. The gaps between the particles are filled with air, which acts as an insulator and slows the transmission of heat. This is why a gap between the walls of a building prevents it from transferring as much heat, and the gap in double-paned windows helps to prevent the loss of more of our hard-earned heat.