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Thermal insulation for your home: yes or no? A question that concerns many people looking for a way to improve the insulation of their home
Energy efficiency is one of the most frequent problems in Italy in the construction sector, especially for older buildings. In winter, heat loss forces you to increase heating costs to maintain an acceptable temperature. In summer, the sun's rays heat rooms from the early hours of the morning until they become unlivable without the air conditioning turned off.
Investing in the insulation of your home helps you save on consumption and improve the overall quality of life. If you're looking for information on how thermal insulation works, this article by Casavo will provide you with all the information you need about installation costs and the pros and cons of this intervention.
What we talk about in this article:
How much does thermal insulation cost and how does it work?
The thermal insulation consists of a series of prefabricated panels to be applied to the facade or walls of a building. This creates a protective shell to increase energy efficiency, reduce heat loss, and improve sound insulation. This building technology has been around for over 50 years, already widespread in Northern Europe, and is increasingly gaining ground in Italy as well.
The covering can be internal or external, depending on where the panels are positioned. Here, we will primarily discuss the advantages and disadvantages of external thermal insulation. This insulation system is applied to the facade of the building and guarantees the best results in terms of insulation, but has higher average costs per square meter and longer construction times.
The entire building is wrapped with various layers of insulation material, usually in this order:
- a first adhesive layer directly on the facade;
- the insulating panel, which can be synthetic – PVC or other – or natural – cork or rock wool;
- a first layer of cladding;
- a thinner insulation reinforcement;
- the final cladding.
At the end of the work, the building will appear from the outside like any other building and the insulating shell will be almost invisible
Let's look at how much does external thermal insulation cost. The average cost depends greatly on the type of insulation material you choose. Let's take an example starting from a surface of 100 meters quadri:
Thermal coat insulation material Cost per square meter including labor Cork €40-50 Wood fiber €40-50 Carbon fiber €40-60 Expanded polystyrene €60-70 Glass wool €60-70 Rock wool €75-80
In our hypothesis, therefore, the covering starts from a minimum of €4,000 and reaches up to €8,000.
The internal covering, instead, involves the application of a thinner layer of insulation to the walls of the building. It can be applied to a single housing unit, with lower costs and faster times. Compared to the external screen, however, it guarantees a lower level of efficiency and insulation.
What are the advantages of thermal insulation
If we think about the pros and cons of thermal insulation, three main advantages come to mind:
- environmental benefits;
- reduction in consumption;
- savings on bills.
Three interrelated aspects that for us outweigh any possible disadvantages of thermal insulation.
Environmental benefits
Improving the energy efficiency of a building significantly reduces energy consumption and consequently CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Investing in thermal insulation also allows you to obtain a better energy certification for your home, which is essential for receiving a higher valuation when you decide to sell.
Reduction in consumption
The installation of insulating layers prevents heat loss in the winter and excessive overheating in the summer. Your home will therefore be independently heated with almost no need for heating or air conditioning, or at least with very limited use of the systems.
Savings on your bill
Lower consumption automatically translates into lower expenses, an aspect not to be overlooked. When weighing the pros and cons of thermal insulation, remember that in addition to helping the planet, you'll also be doing your wallet a favor.
What are the disadvantages of thermal insulation?
Let's look at the disadvantages of thermal insulation. Insulation is an excellent way to cut energy costs and improve the quality of life in your home, but unfortunately, it also has disadvantages that are worth discussing.
The first weakness of thermal insulation that needs to be considered is the initial installation cost. Installing insulating panels requires a significant outlay and a rather long implementation time. To offset the expense, you can take advantage of the tax incentives provided by the budget law for improving environmental impact. This contribution translates into a 110% tax deduction, allowing you to recoup your investment in five installments.
The timing still needs to be carefully considered: unfortunately, the bureaucratic process leading to authorization is long and convoluted.
If the installation involves a condominium, the consent of the majority of condominium owners is required. Furthermore, all apartments in the building must be up to code, with no building violations or renovation work for which it is not possible to produce the relevant certifications.
As for the documents, according to the prevalent interpretation of the law, the external insulation is comparable to an extraordinary maintenance intervention and requires, among other things, notifications of the start, progress, and completion of the works.
The occupation of public land must also be estimated. Insulating panels lead to an increase in the overall volume of the building, which therefore ends up occupying a larger portion of the sidewalk and reduces (albeit by a few dozen centimeters) the distance from other buildings. All changes that require specific urban planning compliance checks by the competent authorities.
The last aspect to consider is any landscape restrictions for historic buildings or buildings of particular architectural interest. If you intend to install external insulation on an old house in the medieval center of a city, for example, you could come up against the measures in force for protecting the urban landscape
They all seem like insurmountable obstacles, but with the help of a trained architectural firm, you can overcome them without problems.
In conclusion: thermal insulation, yes or no?
In this article, we have analyzed the pros and cons of external insulation for the home. An intervention that ensures you improve the energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of your home, but which requires a significant expense and an approval process that must be addressed with the right professional support.
If we have to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of external thermal insulation, we can undoubtedly say that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Installation costs are, in fact, absorbed within a few years by savings on bills; and to this must always be added the related tax deductions.
Don't forget, then, that a more efficient home means a higher energy certification and consequently a better price on the real estate market. If you're interested in knowing the value of your home, request a valuation from Casavo now: it's free and without obligation!