The 5 Most Common Mistakes in Thermal Insulation

In today's modern cities, the importance of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings is increasing steadily. Heat insulation is among the primary measures needed to achieve such a building. Thanks to heat insulation, which is an economic and ecological investment, electricity and natural gas bills are cut in half, while environmental pollution caused by carbon emissions is prevented. However, not every application provides genuine heat insulation. DYO Klimatherm experts have identified the 5 most common mistakes in heat insulation and outlined their recommendations for high-performance thermal insulation. Thanks to heat insulation, living in warm buildings in winter and cool buildings in summer while paying significantly lower utility bills is no longer a dream. However, not every heat insulation application provides genuine insulation. DYO Klimatherm experts, noting that insulation done with non-standard materials does not provide the expected energy savings for the building and causes money spent on insulation to go to waste, have warned those planning to install insulation. DYO Klimatherm experts, stating that long-lasting and healthy cladding can be achieved through the use of materials compliant with standards and proper workmanship, have emphasized that selecting a reliable brand that stands out with the services it provides can prevent potential problems. For those who decided to have heat insulation applied before 2017, when it was a mandatory application in existing buildings, the following questions should be answered first: • Are materials compliant with standards being used? • Do they have TSE and CE certificates? • Does the company have a specialist team capable of proper application? • What services are offered before and after application? • Does it provide guarantees for application and materials? Experts have listed the 5 most common mistakes in heat insulation as follows:

Incorrect product selection

Insulation done with products that do not comply with standards is not genuine insulation. When having heat insulation applied, products that comply with standards and carry TSE and CE certificates must be chosen.

Disregarding the thickness values of heat insulation boards

Among the most frequently encountered mistakes in cladding applications is the use of heat insulation boards at incorrect thicknesses. When determining the thickness of heat insulation boards, attention must be paid to the climatic characteristics of the region where the building is located, the building's external facade elements, and the Building Energy Performance Class requirements.

Failure to conduct surface inspection and disregarding weather conditions

In buildings where heat insulation will be applied, it is crucial that surfaces are examined by specialists to determine whether any preparatory work is necessary before cladding. Many companies in the market carry out heat insulation without conducting surface inspection. This leads to various problems in the future. Additionally, during application, work must be conducted according to weather conditions, and application should be stopped during extremely hot and extremely cold weather. Incorrect and incomplete application: For proper and healthy heat insulation, good materials alone are not sufficient. You should check whether the company providing heat insulation has a team specialized in application and workmanship. Only through heat insulation application performed by skilled workers using correct techniques can high performance be achieved from the cladding. In addition to the correct application system, careful attention must be paid to application on building thermal bridges, where the greatest heat losses occur.

Making price the first criterion when choosing

You decided on insulation to protect your budget and pay less for gas and electricity, but you cannot decide which product or which company. If price becomes your first criterion in this process, it can cause actual damage to your budget. It should not be forgotten that there are heat insulation products on the market described as "backstreet" goods, carrying no standards whatsoever. These products, chosen because they are cheap, cause serious problems after application and result in wasted money. A common misconception about heat insulation is that it is highly costly. Contrary to belief, heat insulation during the construction phase of a building accounts for only 3 to 5 percent of the building's cost. Moreover, heat insulation recovers its cost within a few years through the savings it provides and delivers lifetime savings. Considering that a building has an average lifespan of 50 years, savings are achieved over the remaining 47 years.