Duct Insulation- What You Need To Know
Ducts are a series of interconnecting network that helps conditioned air travel to the nook and crannies of your home. With a forced heating and cooling system being used in most of the houses in the UK, you need to ensure that you get the most out of the energy you spend to warm or condition the air indoors.
While insulating lofts, walls, roof and floor insulation are sure-shot ways to keep the heat indoors, we must remember that the smallest of gaps is sufficient for the warm air to escape. These tiny gaps, when left undetected, probably cause the most damage. Small holes or gaps, in wall insulation, may be easy to spot, but they are not easily detected on ducts.
These tiny gaps in the insulation can make you lose nearly 20-30% of heated air, thus wasting resources and hard-earned money. With nearly 30% of heat loss, the boilers will have to work extra hard to maintain the indoor temperatures.
Ductwork needs to be properly insulated and that is why we have put together this duct insulation material guide wherein we will be discussing the cost of installing duct insulation, materials used etc.
Advantages Of Duct Insulation
1) Energy Savings, Comfort And Reduced Carbon Footprint:
A neatly and properly insulated ductwork ensures that every corner of your home is warm, cosy and comfortable. Duct insulation helps maintain the right air temperatures indoors. Warm air remains at the temperature you want it to be and the stale air in every corner is efficiently sucked out.
With proper duct insulation, not only do you reduce energy bills, but you also get a fresh, relaxing indoors. Also, as you do not have to spend extra energy to re-heat the air since heat loss will be minimal, your carbon footprint will automatically reduce.
Duct insulation
2) Improved Air Quality:
When ducts are not installed or if they have gaps or tiny cracks in them, not only do they lose heat, but they also suck the impurities in the air and circulate it throughout your home, leading to health issues. When ducts are properly insulated and secured, such instances will be a rare occurrence.
3) Prevents Condensation:
Duct insulation prevents ducts from condensing and sweating. The ducting network that pretty much runs in every corner of your house also runs by uninsulated spaces like garages or crawl spaces.
When the warm air passing through an uninsulated duct travels through spaces with little to no insulation, it will lose heat and condense. Condensation on ductwork could damage the floor, walls or roofs etc.
Since duct insulation acts as a protective cover around the ductwork, they increase the dew point, which eliminates condensation. Plus, most of the duct insulating materials like ductwrap and duct boards have factory-applied foil-facings, which act as a moisture barrier.
4) Improved H&V system:
Duct insulation ensures that not only your ducts but your entire H&V system functions to its optimal potential. With improved energy efficiency, the H&V system will not be under too much stress and will perform better for a longer period.
Types of Duct Insulating Materials
1) Ductwrap:
Ductwrap insulation is probably the cheapest duct insulation out there. It is insulation on a roll that is very easy to work with. Ductwrap is typically made of fibreglass or mineral wool.
They are mostly used to insulate oval or circular ductwork but can also be used to insulate square and rectangular-shared ducts. Additionally, ductwrap has factory-applied foil-facing that not only reflects heat but also acts as a continuous vapour barrier.
Ductwrap insulation is very easy to install. We have discussed the details of installing ductwrap insulation in detail, in our previous blog.
2) Fibreglass Ductwrap Insulation:
Duct Insulation by Isover from Saint Gobain is probably the cheapest ducting insulation and costs around £5-£6 per square meter. Made with top-quality glass mineral wool, this ducting insulation gives top-of-the-class thermal insulation, soundproofing, fire and vapour resistance.
3) Mineral Wool Ductwrap Insulation:
At Buy Insulation Online, we stock mineral wool duct insulation by Rockwool. Rockwool duct wrap insulation is made with superior-quality mineral wool. This ductwrap insulation is supplied as a meter-wide insulation roll and costs around £6-£7 per square meter
4) Nitrile Rubber Insulation:
Ducts can also be insulated using foamed nitrile rubber insulation. Nitrile rubber insulation is flexible, easy to install and highly resistant to corrosion. This feature makes the rubber foam insulation sheet ideal for insulating all types of ductwork, especially the metal duct range. Additionally, rubber insulation is ideal for insulating cold water ductwork.
5) Duct Boards:
These are rigid insulation duct insulation boards made of phenolic foam, polyiso (PIR) or mineral wool. Duct insulation boards are mainly used to insulate rectangular and square-shaped ducts.
6) Mineral wool Duct boards:
As the name suggests, these duct boards are made of mineral wool. Duct boards give superior thermal insulation at a reduced thickness. At Buy Insulation Online, we stock the following duct insulation boards:
Rockwool duct insulation board is about 1m long and 600mm wide. They give superior thermal insulation to heating and ventilation ductwork and cost about £8-£9 per square meter. They have factory-applied foil facings that not only reflect radiant heat but also give superior resistance against water ingress.
We also stock specialist insulation boards like Rockwool FirePro DuctRock that can be used in applications that require superior fire resistance. This Rockwool Insulation gives up to 2 hours of fire protection.
Another specialist duct board we stock would be Rockwool DuoDuct board. These are used to insulate external ductwork carrying warm or chilled air or dual-purpose duct systems.
7) Thermaduct:
Thermaduct is basically PIR insulation for ductwork. With an unmatched and low thermal thermal conductivity of 0.023 W/mK, Therma duct insulation ensures that the heat stays inside the ducts. It means that your heated or conditioned air remains at the temperature you want them to be, as PIR insulation strictly prevents heat loss. Therma duct insulation costs around £11-£12 per square meter
8) Phenolic Foam Insulation:
Phenolic foam insulation gives exceptional insulation. With similar thermal conductivity as Therma duct boards, phenolic foam insulation boards are ideal for use in all types of ductwork.
Duct Insulation Costs:
The cost of duct insulation varies depending on the types of ductwork you have and the insulating material you choose. Typically it maps out to be in the range of £900 - £1500.
If you have special insulation requirements like superior fire resistance etc, then obviously the cost of installation will be greater.
Some factors that affect the cost of duct insulation are
Ducting Insulation:
One of the factors that greatly affect the cost of installing duct insulation is the material you choose. The cost of insulating ductwork could be less if you use ductwrap insulation and more by using duct boards.
Labour Cost.
Duct insulation could be an easy DIY task. However, if you are not a competent DIYer or if ductwork is not easily accessible, then insulating it can be a messy or rather tedious job. It is best left to professionals, which adds to the cost of installing duct insulation.
Also, if you plan on saving money by installing duct insulation yourself, do not forget to factor in the expenses for protective gear like masks, gloves, cutting tools, or duct insulation accessories like duct identification labels, foil tapes or duct tapes.
Length of ductwork:
The more ducts you have to insulate, the greater will be your costs. Insulation will also depend on the thickness of your ductwork, as they must be calculated according to the required building regulations.
To Conclusion:
Duct Insulation can not only reduce energy bills and improve air quality, but it helps to improve the overall energy efficiency of your building. Small changes like insulating pipes and ducts could make a big difference, which you will notice when you do not have to spend too much on energy.
Though the initial cost of insulating ducts and pipes in your H&V insulation might be steep, it can easily be recouped in just a couple of years. Additionally, they improve the lifespan of your HVAC system.
For best-in-class ducting insulation, visit Buy Insulation Online. We also stock technical insulation materials like pipe insulation, valve jacket insulation and cladding insulation. With us, you will also find loft insulation rolls, insulation batts, boards and many more at highly competitive prices.
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