Why should I insulate my home in the summer?

In the UK, we usually think of insulation as a product that keeps a building warmer. What spray foam insulation actually does, however, is stop heat transferring from one side to the other and that means that it can keep your home cooler in summer too. When you insulate your house you receive the benefits of cooler summers and warmer winters.

Why Icynene?

Icynene Spray Foam Insulation works by coating the surface to be insulated with a layer of open cell foam which has extremely good breathability, high vapour resistance and low water absorption. In winter this works in a similar way to wearing an extra jumper – it keeps the heat in the building and requires less heating to keep the building at a comfortable temperature. In summer, it works in the opposite way – by keeping external heat out of the building the internal temperature can't rise as much so the building requires less cooling.

Icynene for home insulation

Do you ever go into your loft in the summer? Even on a relatively cool summer's day the temperature in the loft area can be significantly warmer than the rest of the house. The air outside the house is warm and the heat transfers into the roof space where it becomes trapped. The same process happens in the rest of the house but in the living space you can open doors and windows, or run fans and air-conditioning units to actively draw cool air in and allow warm air to escape.

Many houses are poorly insulated and waste energy in heating and cooling the living areas. Spray foam insulation creates a thermal barrier. When the mercury is rising warm air from outside is kept outside, which prevents an unacceptable temperature rise. Icynene Spray Foam Insulation, being flexible and applied as a liquid foam, can also fill in gaps where draughts can cause heat transfer between cool and warm spaces.

Preventing heat transfer is key to keeping your heating – and cooling bills – down. Keeping the warm air where it belongs – outside in the summer and inside in the winter – means you pay less in utility bills to heat or cool your home. Insulation improves your EPC rating and that, in turn, improves the value of your property.

Commercial insulation

Many commercial buildings are too old for anyone to have paid sufficient attention to heating and cooling them. The result is that workers toil in unacceptably warm conditions in the summer and require extra heaters in the winter. Heating and cooling your workspace can be a huge outlay on your utility bills, especially if you need to use “portable” units that are less efficient than full building HVAC units. Whether it’s office insulation or warehouse insulation that’s a concern, Icynene is a great option as it is equally suited to use in commercial situations, enabling installation in offices, shops, warehouses, factories and other commercial buildings. Spray foam insulation adheres to both steel and wood superstructures and can be cut away to provide access to plumbing and wiring. Installed on internal walls it can also improve noise transmission which can be an extra benefit, especially if offices or studios neighbour workshops or factory floors.