What are the different types of insulation?
Bulk insulation
These are the most common types of insulation, batts and boards made of materials like fibreglass, polyester, polystyrene, wool, glasswool or rockwool. Bulk insulation can also be in the form of loose fill, often treated shredded paper made from old phone books. Some types of bulk insulation can also provide good acoustic insulation, which is worth asking about if you live near an airport and have aircraft noise.
Bulk insulation works by trapping pockets of air. Air is a good insulator provided there is not enough air to move around and move heat by convection.
Glasswool and rockwool can be difficult to work with, requiring protective clothing and masks to prevent itching and inhaling the fibres. Polyester won't cause any irritation during installation and is made from recycled PET bottles.
Loose fill insulation can settle after it has been installed, which means you haven't got as much trapped air. Ask the installer to either guarantee that it will not settle (in writing!), to fill higher to allow for settling, or to top up the fill after it settles.
If your house has downlights, there are some safety issues that you must consider when insulating your ceiling.
Reflective materials
Reflective insulation materials bounce the radiant heat back the way it came. They most commonly come in the form of foil sheets that are attached to your roof joists.
Foil insulation products have been implicated with safety problems and have been removed from the rebate programme until the problems are resolved..
Composite insulation
Some insulation products combine the two to prevent radiant and convection heat. Composite batts have a foil outer to reflect heat while foil-backed boards have an inner styrofoam layer surrounded by foil. Another type of product has foil with heavy-duty bubble wrap inside, trapping pockets of air.
