Spray foam loft insulation...essential independent advice

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Headlines

You may have seen advertising or heard about spray foam for insulating lofts.

This has become a very controversial subject, attracting a lot of media attention recently.

If you are thinking of having this installed there are essentials that are important to consider before before you commit.

Below are links to the views of independent experts.

In summary, don't commit until you fully understand the implications of installing this sort of product.

The realities and the advice

The adverts for this alternative method of insulating loft spaces sound incredibly attractive. It IS actually a very useful technology, but only when used in the right way, in the right places.

The reality is there are many issues that using spray foam can cause when used for as a general loft insulation solution.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has produced a short consumer guide on this subject. I strongly recommend you read it before considering this method for loft insulation. It is a free download from here. The headline statements in the guide are:

1. Always take independent advice before committing to having spray foam insulation.

2. For most loft types, conventional loft insulation insulates a home better and is also cheaper. (Conventional loft insulation is actually really cheap)

The Which web site also has a clear guide here, which includes a list of the many downsides of this method of loft insulation.

The overall message here is buyer beware.

The alternative if you want to keep your loft usable

If you know you need deeper conventional loft insulation but want to find ways of keeping lots of "stuff" in your loft or want to keep floor boarding up there, there are lots of practical inexpensive solutions. My other blog here shows you many of them.

The current recommended depth for loft insulation is 270mm (around a foot), which will help keep your home both cooler in summer as well as warmer in winter.

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Thanks.

Mark

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