Home Insulation

Should you be concerned if you have vermiculate insulation in your roof?

12
Sep
2016

Can Bad Acoustics Put You Off Your Food?

According to restaurant surveys, the biggest complaint from restaurant customers after poor service is noise. There is good reason for restaurant owners to take this seriously as the effect of noise on customers also works at a deeper level when it comes to the links between our senses according to a study.

Anyone who has been to a busy restaurant will understand that noise levels can get out of hand. Depending on what kind of occasion it is, noise may even help with the atmosphere, but when it comes to actually enjoying food, less noise means more enjoyment.

A recent study by Manchester University showed that bad acoustics can affect the way our food tastes. Saltiness and sweetness were detected more strongly when it was quiet than when background noise was introduced. The experiment had participants eating the same foods and it turns out people actually enjoyed the taste of their food more when they had a bit as opposed to a lot of background noise.

This may explain why a quiet restaurant is often the choice for romantic meals. Besides being able to hear what your partner is saying, the extra enjoyment they get from their food is likely to make the occasion more memorable.

Posted by admin in Building Trade, Commercial Property, Metropolitan Insulation, Soundproofing, Soundproofing Commercial Property
21
Aug
2016

When The Sound Of Music Can Be Bad For You

Listening to music is one of life’s great pleasures. Unfortunately exposing your ears to loud music of any kind in the home or at work can have a detrimental affect on hearing according to doctors.

While loud noise over a short period can be uncomfortable for your ears, being exposed to loud noise over long periods of several hours can have a cumulative impact on ears that can actually end up damaging your hearing.

The problem for many people who end up with damaged ears is they don’t realise how much noise they are being exposed to in the home or at work until it is too late. For example, it’s natural to want to turn up the volume of music if you want to drown out other noise. This then increases the amount of damage to sensitive nerve fibres that transmit signals to the brain.

The use of headphones can be particularly problematic if they are used for several hours a day while working in the office. Any noise above 110 decibels is unsafe for the human ear.

One potential solution is to better insulate your home or office against external news so that you can listen to and enjoy your music at a level that won’t cause any lasting damage.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Metropolitan Insulation, Noisy Neighbours, Soundproofing, Soundproofing Commercial Property, Soundproofing for musicians
18
Aug
2016
Noisy Neighbours

Noisy Neighbours

Getting The Local Authorities Involved:
Keep a Record of Disturbances

Before involving your local authority, it makes sense to gather a body of evidence which you present to them as proof of the types of disturbances you are experiencing.

Note down the time of a disturbance, its length, and its nature.

If there is a reason for you neighbours making noise at that time, for example a dog barking because it is locked outside at night, then note this down too.

Once you have a decent body of evidence to show the extent of the nuisance your noisy neighbours are causing, you can contact your local authority or council.

Contact your Council

Within most councils, the environmental health department or city living department will have a dedicated contact for antisocial noise related issues. Some councils have a dedicated staff of Environmental Health Officers, who are able to issue warnings and on-the-spot fines to noisy neighbours who do not cease making noise. Failure to pay such fines can result in prosecution and a further £1,000 fine.

What The Law Says

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils are obliged to take reasonable steps to investigate complaints of nuisance noise (and other types of nuisance such as littering or emissions) made by residents. The same law states that where the local authority believes that a nuisance is present, it must serve an ‘abatement notice’ on the individual responsible. The abatement notice can forbid the nuisance altogether, or restrict it to certain times of day.

If the person creating the nuisance cannot be found, the notice is served on the owner or occupier of the property from which the nuisance is coming. Failure to obey the abatement notice is a criminal offence and can result in a fine of £5,000.

In considering whether a nuisance is taking place, the council will consider (1) the nature and location of the noise, (2) the time and duration of the noise and (3) whether the activity creating the noise has any value.

‘Nuisance’
In England and Wales, ‘nuisance’ is defined legally as an unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of one’s property. In deciding this, consideration of the standards of the average person, and the character of the neighbourhood in question (such as whether other residents who are affected have also complained) will be taken.

Confusingly, the definition of nuisance in Scotland is not the same as England and Wales. The definition in Scotland requires that the behaviour is both unreasonable and causes discomfort. Reasonableness is judged with regard to an imaginary ‘reasonable person’ – would they be affected by the level of noise being created?

There is no level of volume which must be met for a noisy neighbour’s behaviour to be considered a nuisance. The standard is subjective and the assessment made by the local authority will be subject to the individual assessor. This is another reason why keeping a diary of noisy behaviour by neighbours is important – it can lend weight to your case.

Solutions for Noisy Neighbours

Having noisy neighbours can be very unpleasant, but if you are informed you can do something about it. We recommend the following points of advice:

  • If you feel safe enough to do so, try to make personal contact. Many times you will find that your neighbours had no idea they were causing a nuisance.
  • If you prefer to keep a distance, use an anonymous letter or note. Be amiable, and try to let your neighbour see things from your perspective – if they are reasonable people they are likely to appreciate that everyone needs sleep!
  • Collect evidence. If your efforts at informing your neighbours that they are causing a nuisance are unsuccessful, you will benefit from having a diary of their noisy behaviour when you contact the authorities.
  • Be safe. When in doubt, do not engage your noisy neighbours – if you fear that they might escalate the situation into something beyond just noise making, or you feel frightened, bullied or intimidated, then contact the police rather than putting yourself into a potentially unsafe situation.
Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Metropolitan Insulation, Noisy Neighbours, Soundproofing, Soundproofing Commercial Property, Soundproofing for musicians, Thermal Insulation
11
Aug
2016

Reducing Noise From Water Systems

One of the biggest noise problems in houses comes from water systems. Specifiers can sometimes face a challenge to reduce noise from pipes in new constructions as can those who buy homes with pipes made from materials that do little to insulate noise.

Manufacturers can often fool specifiers when it comes to acoustic levels in pipes by disguising their actual performance levels. Add to this the drive to reduce building costs and the level of soundproofing around pipes can be less than ideal.

Plastic based systems are the worst culprits for noise and ironically the old cast iron pipes they replaced still offer the best sound insulation than their cheaper alternatives. Moreover, opting for plastic based systems can end up costing more in extra insulation costs where additional materials need to be purchased to compensate for the extra noise.

According to those in the industry current standards of testing sound insulation in water pipes are not stringent enough to replicate the sound generated under normal usage conditions.

Reducing noise from pipes in an existing house is a different matter of course. It can be a major job to replace a water system therefore one option is to use acoustic heavy sound proofing in the ceiling, which can reduce noise by up to 25 db. By using glass wool and an enclosure constructed from gypsum board, it is possible to reduce the level of noise by up to 30 dB(A) in walls.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Metropolitan Insulation, Noisy Neighbours, Soundproofing, Soundproofing Commercial Property, Soundproofing for musicians
20
Mar
2016

How To Reduce Noise In Your Apartment

Homes are often made with thin walls these days so noise can be a problem if your home is attached to someone else’s. This noise can be even worse, if you have people living above and below as well as to the left and right as is the case in most apartments.

If you are suffering from noisy apartment neighbours, then don’t despair, there are lots of things you can do to reduce noise to a tolerable level. One of the first and least costly ways to reduce noise is to apply acoustic dampening paint on shared walls.

This may not get rid of your noise problem but it’s a start. The next thing to do is to carpet the stairs if you have them. This will not only help with sound insulation in your apartment but also reduce the level of noise people will be experiencing from below.

The less noise you make the less noise the people below are likely to make and at the very least you can feel more confident about knocking on their door and asking them to keep the noise down.

If you still find noise levels intolerable then you can always opt to soundproof your walls or add acoustic panelling. If you want to find out more about those, just give us a call.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Metropolitan Insulation, Soundproofing
08
Mar
2016

How To Avoid Buying A Noisy Home

One of the best ways to reduce the cost of insulating against noise is not to buy a noisy home in the first place. This might sound obvious but many of the signs of a noisy house or flat can be missed, particularly if you are distracted by how nice it looks.

If it’s an apartment you are looking for, try and go for the top floor in a development because living at the top means you don’t have any noisy neighbours above you. The problem is the top floor is usually a penthouse and this will probably be double the price of those apartments on lower floors.

If it’s a house you are looking for, avoid living next to schools, universities and colleges. Not only will you have noisy children on the playground to contend with in the case of the former, but also the twice daily rush of parents in 4x4s desperately trying to park as close to the school gates as possible. You should also avoid buying a house on a flight path, next to a bus depot or a busy railway line.

It might also be a good idea to visit the area of the home you intend to buy at different times of the day and on weekends. The noise levels could be very different depending on when you see the most activity in a given area.

Posted by admin in Construction, Home Insulation, Soundproofing
23
Dec
2015

Uncertainty Over Green Policy

The Uncertainty Over Green Policy Impacts On Insulation And Energy Efficiency

The government’s decision to suspend the issuing of finance packages under the green deal scheme is taking a toll on the energy efficiency industry.

Some of what appears in manifesto is often forgotten about or swept under the carpet when a party enters government and this is evident when it comes to improving the energy efficiency of homes in the UK.

This appears to be the case even if the government insists it is committed to delivering on its pledge to improve the energy efficiency of a million households that are classed as fuel poor in the UK.

The uncertainty over when new policies will be put in place has led to a slowdown in the industry while everyone waits to see if any new financing packages will be introduced to give fresh impetus to the sector.

It has to be remembered that improving energy efficiency in homes is an important part of reducing unnecessary energy consumption which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Providing finance for home insulation then suspending it actually does more harm than good in the long term as it simply leads to work being cancelled or delayed.

According to figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Green Deal and ECO schemes saw a fall of 15% between July and August of this year.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Thermal Insulation
02
Dec
2015

Solid Wall Insulation Needs Boost Says Report

A report from construction advisor Peter Handsford has called for more incentives to encourage homeowners to invest in solid wall insulation.

The government has set a target of insulating a million homes by 2020, yet it remains a long way from reaching it with just 97,000 homes having solid wall insulation fitted since the scheme was introduced back in 2013.

At this rate the target is unlikely to be met and Handsford’s report recommends reducing Stamp Duty on Green homes to encourage owners to invest in insulation and see additional financial benefits in doing so.

The report ‘Solid Wall Insulation – Unlocking Demand and Driving up Standards’ also recommends reducing the amount of VAT payable on retrofit work so that it is more affordable.

Alongside its recommendations for kick starting the industry, the report highlights the need to introduce procedures to protect consumers and maintain standards in the industry.

One of the biggest challenges for the industry is convincing homeowners and landlords to invest in green energy efficiency improvements like cavity wall insulation and solid wall insulation. Financing towards schemes has helped but there is at present uncertainty about when funding is made available.

New rules on energy efficiency aimed at landlords who are renting out property will at least provide a boost to the industry in the next few years.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Soundproofing, Thermal Insulation
03
Jul
2015

The Importance Of Fitting The Right Type Of Thermal Insulation

Depending on the time of year, having a large amount of thermal insulation can be either a good or a bad thing. The issue was reported by the Daily Mail this month when they highlighted how some homes are actually too hot in the summer.

Experts are now suggesting the drive towards greener homes may be putting people’s health at risk in cases where insulation has been overdone. This can be the case in modern flats where developers keen to display their eco-friendly approach have ended up making some areas of buildings uncomfortably hot during the summer months.

The issue was raised to the fore as a result of the recent heatwave where temperatures soared into the 30s and people were left sweltering indoors with temperatures rising above the healthy limit of 25 degrees.

Ironically, heat related deaths caused by global warming are expected to triple to 7,000 people a year. The problem is particularly likely to affect the elderly, the obese and people with chronic illnesses and it is unlikely that anything can be done to reverse the drive towards better insulation for homes.

In the future there may need to be some balance restored between creating houses that don’t use more fuel than they need to during winter, yet still be cool enough to be comfortable to live in during the summer months. Fitting the right type of thermal insulation is the obvious solution to this particular problem.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Thermal Insulation
16
Jan
2015

5 Steps To Insulating Your Home

Something as straightforward as insulating your loft correctly can save you £250 on heating bills according to the Energy Trust. This significant financial saving is just one reason to check if your loft is insulated or if the insulation you have is effective.

If your loft is insulated as all new build homes are today, then there is no need to worry, but older properties may well need an upgrade in loft insulation to improve energy efficiency. Unless you are confident that you can do the job to the required standard, then it is worth asking a professional to install insulation for you.

If you do decide to go it alone and do it yourself here are 5 steps to remember:

  • Check that your roof space doesn’t have any damp creeping in before you start your loft insulation project. Damp can lead to rot and applying insulation over this is not a good idea.
  • Wear protective gear such as overalls, gloves and a dust mask to prevent fibres irritating the skin and your airways. There are alternative insulation materials available such as sheep’s wool and recycled newspapers that may be more suitable if you don’t like the thought of handling mineral wool.
  • You should make accurate measurements of your joists and the floor of your loft to make sure insulation is cut to the correct size and fits properly.
  • It is recommended that the depth of insulation for mineral wool insulation is 27cm. This can vary, however, depending on the material you are using.
  • If you already have some loft insulation, you don’t need to remove it. Just add the new material on the top. Don’t put boards on top of your insulation as this will compress it and reduce its effectiveness.
Posted by admin in Home Insulation