Facts - Insulation Tested by Which

Loft insulation - the basics
Heat lost from your walls, loft and floor can account for up to 35, 25 and 15 per cent of your heating bill respectively.

Of these, lofts are by far the easiest to add insulation to without major upheaval and you can save up to £100 a year on heating costs by doing so.

Even if you already have some insulation, adding to this can lead to further savings.

Standards have risen over the years and 250mm is the current recommended thickness.

The more common types of insulation - fibre glass and mineral wool - have been joined by environmental alternatives such as recycled paper and sheep’s wool. In fact, insulation made from shredded recycled paper, mainly newspapers,is the best on test.

Our other Best Buys are more traditional types of insulation.

Government grants are available to help with the cost of insulation through the Warm Front programme.

Grants of up to £2,700 can provide a package of insulation and heating measures tailored to your home - find out more at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/hees or you can ask your gas or electricity supplier for help, they are obliged to provide customers with advice on improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

What to look for
Types
Insulation is sold in different forms and each has its pros and cons when it comes to fitting. Some are sold as batts, others as rolls, rigid boards or loose fill material.

Ease of cutting
How long it takes to fit insulation depends partly on how easy it is to cut. Warmcell 100 doesn’t require cutting because it is made from loose material while Pavatex Pavatherm is very rigid making it difficult to cut.

Tools
Most of the insulation we tested can be cut with a sharp Stanley knife. There are a couple of exceptions; you’ll need a saw to cut the Pavatex Pavatherm, Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate and Kingspan Best Buys.

 

strong>Fibres and dust
The Pavatex Pavatherm, Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate and Kingspan all release the most fibres when cut, so wear a mask over your mouth.

The Results - best buys

Pavatex Pavatherm

This Best Buy insulation, the best insulator on test is made from insulating wooden boards.

It has excellent water resistance, but it isn’t the easiest to fit and is messy when cut.

This insulation is made from wooden fibre boards, 100mm thick. The board has some give, and there is one meter squared per pack. Each slab weighs one slab weighs 9.4 kg.

The second best insulation on test is an excellent insulator – the best insulator on test in fact. Water resistance is excellent too, water simply floats on the surface.

This isn’t the easiest insulation to fit. It is difficult to cut, it is hard and shreds when cut. Tough wood fibres are released which makes it dusty and messy. You’ll need a saw to cut it, as well as protective clothing; gloves and a mask.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation. The manufacturer claims that it improves acoustic sound protection, does not contain any glue or wood preserves and is not a toxic hazard.

Pros: Best insulator on test, excellent water resistance.

Cons: Difficult to cut, no instructions.

Excel Warmcel 100

This Best Buy is the second best insulator on test and is one of the easiest to fit too.

Made from recycled paper, it is a loose material and is environmentally friendly.

This insulation has good green credentials; it is made from cellulose fibres which come from recycled paper, making it an environmentally friendly choice. It comes in bags, and is a loose material soft to the touch, quite crumbly and a bit dusty.

Overall this is the best on insulation on test, easy to fit and the second best insulator of all those we’ve tested.

We couldn’t test the water resistance since it is loose material, but if an area of insulation does come in contact with water, it is easy to remove a bit and replace it because the material is loose.

No instructions were supplied with this product, the distributor simply advised us to pour it into the available space, breaking up any large bits with your hands. One bag fills one meter square, and each bag weighs 8.4kg.

This insulation is loose material, and as such is fairly dusty. It is one of the easiest on test to fit, and there is no cutting required. Although there are no specific instructions from the manufacturer about protective clothing, we suggest you wear gloves when working with it.

Pros: Environmentally friendly, excellent insulator, easy to fit, no cutting required.

Cons: No instructions.
Xtratherm Extra Performance

This Best Buy insulation is made from styrofoam board between silver backing and is a good insulator.

It is similar to Kingspan K7 insulation, another Best Buy, has excellent water resistance and is easy to cut and trim.

Made from rigid board with foil facings on both sides, this insulation is 90mm thick. Each pack contains 2.9 meters squared, and one boards weighs 9.2 kg.

This Best Buy is a good insulator. It has excellent water resistance too, water simply floats on the surface.

This insulation is easy to cut and trim, you’ll need a saw to cut it. A lot of dust comes off it when you cut it, and it is messy at the cut end with some fibres coming off. Overall though it is easy to fit, you’ll need protective clothing, including gloves, a mask and overalls.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation, you can download some from the website.

It’s similar to the Kingspan K7 insulation we’ve also tested.

Pros: Good insulator, excellent water resistance, easy to cut and trim.

Cons: Lots of dust when cut, messy at cut end, no instructions.

Kingspan Kooltherm K7

This Best Buy is made from Styrofoam board between silver backing and is a good insulator.

It’s similar to Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate insulation, another Best Buy we’ve also tested, has decent water resistance and is easy to fit and cut.

This rigid insulation board is made from pink styrofoam between silver backings.

One board covers 2.9 meters squared, it comes in four thicknesses: 25, 50, 75 and 100mm. One board weighs 13.4 kg.

This Best Buy is a good insulator, and water resistance is decent too.

Easy to fit, and very easy to cut, we used a saw. It’s messy at the cut end though, with some loose fibres. It’s very dusty so you’ll need protective clothes, including a mask, gloves and possibly overalls too.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation, you can download some from online.

Pros: Good insulator, easy to fit, very easy to cut.

Cons: Very dusty, no instructions supplied.

Knauf DIY Space Blanket

This Best Buy insulation is glass mineral wool in a plastic covering.

It’s a good insulator and is one of the easiest to fit but a bit of a struggle to cut.

This insulation is glass mineral wool in a plastic covering. According to the manufacturers, the sleeve is a fire retardant. It’s sold in rolls and is very flexible, and is available in two thicknesses; 150 and 200 mm.

Each pack contains two meters squared. One roll weighs 3.7kg. The plastic is the texture of a carrier bag, so it can stretch and split.

This Best Buy is a good insulator. And more user friendly than typical glass fibre insulation since it is encased in plastic.

Water resistance is poor.

This is one of the easiest of the insulation on test to fit. There was very little dust. However, it isn’t the easiest to cut as the fibres move inside the plastic sleeve. We used a sharp Stanley knife.

This insulation is supplied with good instructions, full of diagrams, and gives you good advice about wearing a mask and gloves when you fit it.

Pros: Good insulator, glass fibre is encased in plastic, easy to fit, good instructions.

Cons: Poor water resistance, not the easiest to cut.

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