Is Your Home Bitterly Cold, Impossible to Heat,
Despite Never Ending, Soaring Heating Bills?

       

It's not a nice feeling sitting there in a freezing cold room / cold house trying to read a book or watch your favourite TV programme, or maybe Tom or Monica from next door pops in unexpectedly for a chat & a cup of tea and you get embarrassed when you see him / her 'massaging the tea cup' to get some heat back into his / her perished hands!

Apart from winning the Lotto & emigrating to a warm country, you still have a few other ways to make your home a bit warmer, even the most lived-in part of your home can be made more cosy for less than €/£100.

After all…the least you deserve after a hard day is a bit of quality relaxation in the comfort of your own home.

You may think that it will cost you the earth to insulate your home to make it more liveable in. Not necessarily the case. As mentioned above you can make any room cosier for less that €/£100, cheap insulation... or you can spend up to thousands on better systems with even better results if you can afford it.

You may be totally confused as to which building insulation material might best suit your needs, or more to the point…might suit your pocket! Like buying anything… everybody praises their own stuff and you're left not knowing who to believe!

I will explain your main insulation options in plain man's language.

By the way, we don't sell / install home insulation except for one type only… Insulating Paint... the original Thermilate (beware of fakes) This is a good, very low cost way to insulate your home but to be straight about it; there are better options out there also which might suit you better.

I will attempt to explain your most common home insulation options in a clear, no waffle; no sales pitch way which hopefully will help you can figure out the best way to go.

My product may suit you and may not. It might fit very well used in conjunction with some other system you might opt for such as insulated plasterboard. It might be your only solution. Anyway, to get a proper, yet simple overview, I urge you to take a look through the various possibilities outlined below and then you will have a better idea of what you can do to make your home warmer, irrespective of whether you decide to use our product or not.

Quick Overview of the Insulation Types Available.
Note:  As referred to above, we do not supply or fit external insulation, insulated plasterboard or attic insulation materials. The information mentioned on this page is to provide you with a simple, unbiased guide on what is available – without waffle or hype! Comments are based on insulating an existing home - not a 'new-build'.

We have a broad enough knowledge of home insulation to be in a position to offer you a very 'simple' overview of your options without any vested interest.

Attic Insulation:

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 The first place your heat is going to go is UP.

       

Therefore your attic / roof space should be your first priority. Attic insulation is one of the lower cost / high benefit options. If you are handy, you can do this yourself and if not, it should not cost the earth to get it done anyway. Fit insulating material as thick as possible & the best you can afford. Check around for prices on attic insulation / Rockwool. You can help your attic / room insulation by applying a few coats of insulating paint up on your ceilings whenever you get around to it. If you are in any doubt about the usefulness of attic insulation, look up at the roofs in your area when there's snow or 'white frost' on them. The uninsulated homes will be very obvious because the frost will have melted / roof wet, while the insulated homes, the roofs are still white (still white because the heat is not escaping up to the roof melting the frost!) another way to look at this (more painful though) is that is your hard earned €20 and €50 notes floating out through your roof.

Special Note: If you have an attic stairs fitted and you use your attic space frequently, ask about our revolutionary new safety hand rail which is easily fitted at the opening to make your ascent and decent safe and easy. Adjustable - fits all size openings. Only €189 or Stg £165 plus P & P.  
For additional information, please call...R.O.I. Call (01) 830 22 50. N Irl / UK  0845 555 8801

External Insulation:

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Heat escaping out through walls is not as obvious as on your roof, but walls are the second biggest point of heat loss in your home.

External Insulation is applied / attached to the outside walls of your home and acts like a blanket wrapped around your house. This would be considered the most expensive insulation option available, and if you can afford it, yes, it is very effective. It will cost anywhere from around €8,000 up to double that to fit external insulation to a semi-detached home like below left.

I have recently seen two identical homes in one estate where one house had external insulation that cost €8500 and the other cost about €16,000. What was the difference? At a distance they looked similar but up close, the difference became more apparent. Everything from finish / attention to detail, quality of materials & workmanship.

Cost depends on home size, quality of materials used, number of features that require modifications etc. This system has one big advantage in that it does not interfere with your home interior, decor etc. If your home is detached it makes things easier. If a semi or terraced, it will protrude about 6"or so past adjoining home and that may need a little thought. Just about visible on right of picture below left. (The above prices are approximate only – shop around with reputable companies and ask for references) Grants are available up to a max of €4000. There are decent people and cowboys out there – so choose carefully.

       

Example of external insulation job                  External insulation on terraced home

Insulated Plasterboard on Inside Walls

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Insulated plasterboard is an excellent and very popular wall insulation. This is applied to the inside of your external walls only and comes in various thicknesses. Most popular thickness would be 50 to 70mm. The only disadvantage with this material is it can reduce your room living space. You can finish with paint, paper, or tiles.

How do I insulate gable walls?
One area where this material is not suitable is the stairs wall running up the inside a gable walls (common in semi detached homes – see picture below right) because it is too narrow and taking 60 or 70mm from an already narrow stairs width is not really an option. Your have only two choices here to insulate gables wall…external insulation (above) or three coats of insulating paint on inside of gable wall plus two coats on other walls in all stairs and landing areas to 'box' the heat into that space.

If you have the space, insulated plasterboard (aka dry lining) is a great way to make your home warmer and it doesn't cost the earth usually. Insulating a gable wall is easy with Warmcoat.
Price guide: One 12ft wall x 8ft high with 50mm insulated plasterboard will cost somewhere in the region of €400 + including skim coat but excluding painting etc.

       

Insulated plasterboard – in various thicknesses          Typical 3 bed semi stairs and cold gable wall

If you get the inside of your home 'dry lined' and skimmed as it is called, you will
probably finish it off with a few coats of paint or wallpaper. Grants available up to €2500.

TIP: If you install  insulated plasterboard & finish with skim coat for insulating gable wall , & you are having it painted or papered, you can boost your dry lining's insulation performance / heat retention even more by applying one or two coats of Warmcoat Advanced insulating paint as part of the painting job (use as undercoat or as an off-white finish). If you plan to wallpaper, it would be very sensible to apply a few coats of Warmcoat for insulating gable wall insulation on inside of before applying the wallpaper. If tiling, you could apply Warmcoat before tiling but its effect will be reduced given the tile thickness. Warmcoat Advanced significantly enhances heat retention / insulation. Applying Warmcoat does not add to workload, just costs a few bob more than regular emulsion & is well worth it.  

Cavity Wall Insulation and Cavity Block Insulation

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Warning! There is a big difference between a cavity wall and a cavity block wall.
A cavity wall is usually constructed with two rows of solid blocks with a 4" void in between, preferably with no obstructions in that void. This can be insulated by filling the void with an appropriate insulating material – usually pumped in.
Cavity blocks, also known as 9" hollow blocks on the other hand are generally considered unsuitable for 'pumping' because it is plain to see that there is not enough space to pump in the material.
However, some contractors offer a foam injection for cavity block walls – our advice would be to ask for references from people in your estate with a similar home to yours & who have had this work done by the same contractor. Insulating gable wall should be a priority to retain your home's heat.

       

Above shows the difference between a cavity wall (left) and cavity block wall.

Some less scrupulous contractors will be delighted to 'pump your walls' irrespective of whether the wall or pumped material is appropriate or not. BUYER BEWARE.

If your walls are constructed like picture on above left, i.e. a double skin cavity wall, (not necessarily having brick on outside) insulation can be pumped into the voids.

However, you will see on our example cavity block wall picture on the above right picture that there is very little room for pumped in insulation material. Lines on block show where blocks meet (also horizontal) and is 100% solid concrete. Most of those holes are usually full of building debris and mortar. Those 'in the know' maintain that if a cavity block wall is 'pumped', it makes any existing condensation problems & damp walls even worse. It is safe to estimate that a cavity block wall can be up to about 60% solid, so our advice is be very careful before you commit or handing over any money.

TIPS: How do you know which type of wall construction your home has, cavity block or cavity (double skin) wall? A very simple guide is to measure the wall thickness at a window or door. As a rule of thumb, if your wall is below 300mm / 30cm / 12", (allow for one or two inches of plasterboard on inside if fitted) it is likely your wall is made from cavity blocks also called 9" hollow blocks.
If your wall is 350mm or more thick, (exc old solid stone walls, mass concrete etc) it is more likely to be a cavity wall with a gap in the centre. This is intended to be a guide only – you should establish the facts fully.
I recommend that you call in a qualified BER Engineer to get a broad understanding of your home's energy rating and hear his / views re your options.

Solid Wall Insulation / Old Home Insulation

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If you live in a home built before insulation was even thought about, mostly solid stone and masonry, you have a few extra problems to deal with. You probably want to retain the charm and character, and modern insulation materials (internal / external) will not look right or just don't 'fit'... Solid walls cannot be 'pumped' for obvious reasons. One very non-invasive solid wall insulation material that will make a big difference here is Insulating paint like our Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint. This is becoming very popular for old homes because it reduces a lot of heat loss, damp walls / condensation and mould problems. Most importantly, it allows the walls to breathe and is perfect for older period homes etc. A point worth mentioning is, although Warmcoat is a finish in itself (off-white matt or midsheen), you can apply any paint of your choice on top. Ideal where you want to finish up with high quality heritage paints etc. This is an ideal insulation option for Georgian homes, listed buildings etc.

       

Many old homes have solid walls Insulating paint is ideal for period homes

       

Insulating Paint - the Lowest Cost Insulation Insulating paint is perfect for old town houses  

More and more people are talking about insulating paint, one of the best, value for money, insulation materials now available anywhere.         Insulation gable wall... Warmcoat Advanced is the answer.

Insulation grants only apply when you are prepared to dig deep into your own pockets to fund the major part of the job of wall insulation etc. That's fine if you're 'loaded'!

You won't get any grant towards the cost of Insulating Paint. Amazing but true!

Pick Insulation Most Suited to Your Needs & Pocket:

Choose whichever system / type of insulation that suits your home and pocket.

Ask around and get a few quotes, and make sure you ask for references, ideally from people who have had a similar home to yours insulated a year or more ago and are satisfied with the results..

As mentioned at the outset, we are not involved in the mainstream insulation business.

As specialists in sourcing and distribution of home improvement products, our 'Insulation Niche' is the much talked about Thermilate Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint – the lowest cost way to stop heat escaping from your home. (We carry many other useful home maintenance products also)

WE Guarantee Warmcoat will reduce your home's heat loss and will make your home warmer and more comfortable. Warmcoat is the lowest cost, effective insulation available today. It applies like any emulsion. Low odour and good hiding power. Insulating gable walls is now easy with Warmcoat.

A Big Plus…Warmcoat is also excellent for the annoying problem of Condensation / Damp Walls and toxic black Mould. Stop damp, treat damp quick and easy. (Mould should be killed and wall cleaned first)

Warmcoat is available in 5 Litre Matt & Midsheen

Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint (White Matt)	€74.97	Add to Cart
Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint (White Mid-Sheen)	€74.97	Add to Cart

Note: Insulating paint is used only inside the home.

Coverage: Only one 5 litre can required to insulate an average 12 x 9ft small bedroom for about €75 / £69. We recommend 3 coats on external walls and two coats on the other walls and ceiling for best results.

(Warning! Please be aware that a Fake imitation Warmcoat using a similar can label to our previous can design is presently being offered by two UK based websites at 'amazing prices' so you've been warned!)

Could You Benefit From Warmcoat Insulating Paint …the Lowest Cost Way to Keep Your Heat In?

If the pennies are a bit scarce right now & you live in a cold, hard to heat home, a can or two of Warmcoat applied to the walls & ceiling in your main 'chill out room' (pardon the pun) will make that room warmer, cosier, heat faster and hold heat longer after the heating goes off. In fact you can probably turn it off an hour sooner with no loss of comfort – you don't need a calculator to figure out how that affects your heating bill.

If you are having insulated plasterboard fitted for insulating gable wall, a few coats of Warmcoat (used like an undercoat) as part of your painting job or before wallpapering will boost your insulation values and your home's BER energy rating. Gable walls on stairway usually cannot be fitted with insulated plasterboard due to narrowing of stairs etc, so our Warmcoat is the best possible option in that situation.

If you live in an old home with uninsulated solid walls & you want to retain the character & old charm of your home - you will love Warmcoat.

If you live in a home built with cavity block walls – 3 coats of Warmcoat on inside of external walls will make a significant difference to your room's heat retention. See Cavity Wall info above.

If your home has dampness on walls / condensation and maybe Mould also – Warmcoat is an excellent way to prevent condensation and as a damp proof / damp proofing treatment. Also helps if you have respitory problems like Asthma etc – a drier room with mould free walls makes for a better home living environment. How to treat damp walls is a question many people have. This can be your answer.

If your heating bills, domestic or even business premises are sky high, two or three coats of Warmcoat will save a chunk of your costly heat from escaping. Three coats should save you at least 10% on bills with increased comfort.

If you are "over 21" as my late dear Father in law used to say… a few coats of Warmcoat will make those chilly evenings a lot more bearable, especially if you suffer from the cold like me.

Great in rented apartments / flats to reduce condensation, mould, energy bills etc, treating damp etc.

Excellent in uninsulated flat roof kitchen extension ceilings, porches etc.

Ideal low cost insulation where you do not want to use up precious space in an already small room by fitting insulated plasterboard etc.

Warmcoat can be used in many other applications such as in mobile homes, caravans, boats, workshops, schools, churches, warehouses, shops, offices, factories, vintage car storage, etc.

 

What The Camera Saw.

If you are the techie type you might want to take a look at a thermal imaging report carried out on a 104 year old uninsulated house. It will clearly illustrate the effect Warmcoat has on a wall. To see Report – click here.

 

Finally… Why Should You Trust Me?
As you see from above customer comments, it is fair to say that the product does the business. Speaking for myself and my company, we only carry & distribute reputable products that we can stand over – no junk or gimmicks. Look around our site to see for yourself. Come in and see…we're real. However, when all is said and done, the single best answer to the above question is I put my money where my mouth is.

365 Day Money Back Guarantee

I am satisfied that Warmcoat does everything I said it does above, and we as the Exclusive distributor of Thermilate Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint in Rep of Ireland & N Ireland, we guarantee 100% satisfaction with this product. We take all the risk – not you. If after you use our Warmcoat (can + proof of purchase required) and you are not totally happy with your investment – contact me for a refund. Simple as that. Honesty is assumed & expected. Oh, I forgot to mention, we've been in business since May 1978, we have thousands of loyal & regular customers, so there's a fair chance, even in these times that we'll be around for a while longer to honour this guarantee.

Need To Know More?

If there's something I forgot to mention or you have a question not covered above, apologies, but please don't hesitate to get in touch with me and I will make sure you receive a reply inside a few hours if not sooner. You may prefer to call our help line 8am – 10pm daily GMT. Call (01) 830 22 50. N Irl / UK please dial 00 353 1 830 22 50.

You Don't Have to Put Up With a Freezing Home Any Longer.

I hope that my simple guide to your insulation options above was of help to you today. Hopefully you will have a good overview on your choices in general.

If our Warmcoat ticks one or more of the above boxes above for you, the best suggestion I can make is give it a try. Try a can or two out in the coldest room in your home. Feel the difference for yourself – proof of the pudding, & and take it from there.

Stockists
You can order online here or pick it up at one of our Nation-wide stockists. For your nearest stockist please call R.O.I. (01) 830 22 50. From N Irl / UK please dial 0845 555 8801

Thermilate Warmcoat Advanced Insulating paint is Exclusive to Igoe International Ltd,
Dublin & Leeds. Head Office: 135 Dublin Industrial Estate, Dublin 11, Ireland. Estd. 1978.
All test certification is available on request. Insulation Dublin.
Available on-line here or through appointed stockists.