So we all know that the right building insulation is a must when it comes to reducing the transfer of heat and energy in a building. Below are some more interesting facts about insulation that you may not have known about.

Insulation has been around since the Middle Ages

The building insulation concept is not a new one. One of the earliest forms of insulation appeared during the Middle Ages when the walls in homes were packed with straw and mud in order to keep out the cold and keep in the heat. Our ancestors also used to cover the stone walls with tapestry to keep out the draughts in between block work.

Ancient Greece is where asbestos insulation originated from

In ancient Greek, asbestos means ‘inextinguishable’. Asbestos has been used as insulation material for centuries. Only in the mid 1970’s, after finding out that asbestos has harmful effects on our health, the industry then traded asbestos for fiberglass insulation.

There are over 10 different types of insulation available today

There is a wide variety of choices for insulation materials in packaging, building and other applications. The environmentally friendly insulation materials that we use today, include paper or plant cellulose, recycled cotton denim, fiberglass, sheep wool and polystyrene.

Fibreglass was not invented on purpose

Dale Kleist, a young researcher, attempted to create a vacuum-tight seal between two places of glass when a high-pressure jet of air suddenly shot right through and then turned them into fibres. This is how fiberglass came into existence.

A good insulator is not a good conductor

Insulation gets measured by using an R-value, this represents resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value is, the better it is going to resist to heat, and the better the insulation. By contrast, a U-value’ will measure how effective certain material is as an insulator. And the lower the U-value is, the better the insulation will be.

Vedder & Moffat CC are leading thermal insulation contractors in South Africa, for more information on our products and services, visit our website on www.veddermoffat.co.za.

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