Additional attic insulation lowers room temperatures in the summer, saving cooling energy

Additional thermal insulation of the attic is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to improve the energy efficiency of an old house – both against freezing temperatures and summer heat. With the Vintit Kuntoon additional attic insulation service from the cellulose insulation manufacturer Termex-Eriste Oy, insulating the attic can be done effortlessly all over Finland.

– There are more than half a million old detached houses in Finland, the energy efficiency of which could be significantly improved with additional insulation in the attic, says Termex-Eriste Oy’s CEO Markus Rautiainen.

Due to stricter energy efficiency regulations, a wool layer of about 500 mm is currently required in the flat roof of detached houses, which leads to additional insulation of the attics of old detached houses also being of interest to the market, and recently the demand has been growing sharply. – Termex-Eriste Oy has reacted to the situation by launching, under its subsidiary, the Vintit Kuntoon service concept, whose trained additional attic insulation experts are familiar with the challenges of adding insulation to the attics of small houses. Additional attic insulation experts provide consumer advice in matters related to thermal insulation, and you can order a free attic condition report from them, which shows whether additional insulation of the attic is possible and how much it could benefit your house specifically.  

– The rule of thumb is that if the house has a ventilated loft attic and a gable roof, installing additional insulation is possible. Making a decision is always easier if it can be based on a professional’s written assessment, Rautiainen points out.

The money invested in insulation work will be returned many times over as energy savings during the building’s life cycle. Additional insulation is therefore a cost-effective way to save energy and increase the property’s value. A better-insulated house is also more comfortable to live in, especially in the summer heat.

The additional attic insulation corresponds to one third of the cooling power of an air heat pump

– Additional insulation has usually been seen as an investment against winter’s sub-zero conditions in Finland, but the sales of cooling air heat pumps, which became more common in the 2000s, make additional attic insulation economically advantageous even on hot summer days. According to an example calculation, in a 150 m² house built in the 1980s, a passive cooling power of more than 800 watts is achieved with 200 mm of additional insulation in the attic. The figure corresponds to approximately one third of the cooling power of an average air heat pump. Significant savings, Rautiainen points out. – Passive cooling is inexpensive to use, because the investment lasts throughout the building’s life cycle without technical maintenance measures or component replacements, Rautiainen adds.