You know that proper building insulation is a must-do to reduce the transfer of heat and energy in your home. Here are other interesting facts about insulation you may not know about!
1. Insulation has been around since the Middle Ages.
The concept of building insulation is not new. The earliest form of insulation appeared during the Middle Ages when the walls of homes were stuffed with mud and straw to keep out the cold and preserve heat. Also, our ancestors used to cover stone walls with tapestry to keep out draughts between block work.
2. Asbestos insulation originated in Ancient Greece.
In ancient Greek, asbestos means ‘inextinguishable.’ For centuries, asbestos has been employed as insulation material. Only in the mid-1970s, after finding out about the harmful effects asbestos has on health (particularly lungs), the industry traded asbestos for fibreglass insulation.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) manufactured by the Isowall Group is fast becoming recognized as the insulation material of choice by specifiers of “Bills of Quantities”. This comes largely as a result of our technical knowledge backed up by years of experience in the building and construction industry.
3. Today there are more than 10 different types of insulation.
There is a variety of choices for insulation materials in buildings, packaging and other applications. Today’s environmentally friendly insulation materials include recycled cotton denim, paper or plant cellulose, sheep wool, fibreglass and polystyrene!
4. Fibreglass was invented by accident.
A young researcher named Dale Kleist attempted to create a vacuum-tight seal between two pieces of glass when a high-pressure jet of air shot through and turned them into fibres. It is how fibreglass came to be in existence.
5. A good insulator is a bad conductor.
Insulation is measured using an ‘R-value,’ which represents resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better it will resist to heat, and the better the insulation. By contrast, a ‘U-value’ measures how effective a material is as an insulator. The lower the U-value, the better the insulation.
The Isowall Group has been manufacturing and distributing Isolite Block Moulded EPS since 1985, and Isolite Shape Moulded EPS since 1992. Isolite EPS products are used primarily for insulation, lightweight fillers and semi-rigid cushioning.
