Cold walls are a common phenomenon in homes that shouldn’t be neglected. While cold walls are a potential cause of damp, they also cause heat and energy loss, resulting in high energy bills.
Hence, if you notice that some parts of your home, such as the bedroom, are cold, you want to ask, why is my house so cold? This piece explains common causes of cold walls and the solution.
Why are my walls cold?
Cold walls are attributed to poor insulation in the home, meaning your walls are cold because they easily let heat out of the home. A properly insulated home keeps the home warm by preventing heat from escaping through the walls.
They are more common in older homes since they often have solid walls with no barrier to act as an insulation agent.
On the other hand, modern homes are built with cavity walls to provide insulation. However, this doesn’t eradicate the possibility of cold walls in modern homes. Modern homes with damp issues also have poor insulation and experience cold walls.
Regardless, poor insulation is usually the culprit behind cold walls.
Are Cold Warms Bad For My Homes?
About 50% of heat loss in the home occurs through the walls, which increases with cold walls. This ultimately means spending more on energy bills, which you don’t want.
Another adverse effect of cold walls on your home can lead to damp issues. Condensation occurs when hot air falls on the cold patches on your walls, resulting in structural damage if left neglected.
Cold Walls Solution
Again, poor insulation is the major cause of cold walls. With this, the only solution to solve it is to improve the insulation. While improving insulation might sound simple, it can be tricky, especially in older homes with solid walls.
The best method for insulating a home depends on the type of property. Insulation is simpler in modern homes, thanks to the availability of cavity. Insulating a modern home only requires filling the cavity with insulation materials.
On the other hand, insulation can be trickier in older homes since they lack cavity. Insulating solid walls in older homes requires building another layer of material adjacent to the walls, later filled with insulation material. Unfortunately, insulating solid walls is not cheap.
Since damp also contributes to cold walls, it is important to take care of possible sources of moisture causing damp in the home. You can consider waterproof damp proofing for this purpose.
Another method to consider for treating cold walls is masonry crème, such as Properla Masonry Crème.
Properla Masonry Crème creates an insulation barrier on walls by penetrating deep into the substrate. While this doesn’t completely solve cold wall issues, it helps improve thermal insulation and keep the outside walls dry.
How to Prevent Condensation on Cold Walls
Again, one adverse effect of cold walls is damp, resulting from condensation. However, while you are planning on improving your home’s insulation, you want to control condensation to reduce the risk of damp in your home. The good news is you can keep condensation at bay even when you are yet to improve your home’s insulation.
The best way to prevent condensation is to keep the room ventilated. While improving the room ventilation helps remove warm moist air from the room, it also keeps the room dry.
While there are different ways to improve ventilation, keeping the windows open is usually the best option. This works fine in rooms with the most humidity, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
Using a dehumidifier is another common method to improve moisture from the air. While this might not be a long-term solution, it ensures warm damp air is removed from the room, keeping it clean and dry to prevent damp.
Is It Possible To Insulate Wall From Inside Or Outside?
When improving your home insulation to prevent cold walls, you must choose between insulating your home from inside or outside. Each option works differently from the other, such that external insulation is best for homes with no cavity for injecting insulation. External insulation is also a great choice where the cavity is already filled.
Hence, it is wise to know how each option works and the best condition to use it.
External Wall Insulation
Insulating your walls from the outside involves adding insulation boards, such as mineral wool but commonly PIR boards, to the outside walls. This is followed by rendering on top of the insulation.
Why External Wall Insulation?
- The obvious advantage of external wall insulation is how it helps increase the property’s energy efficiency. Adding 10cm of PIR insulating board is enough to cut back the U-value of the property to below 0.28.
- External wall insulation goes above and beyond the current building regulations. Professionals often target 35% energy saving for a property with insulated external walls.
- Not only does external insulation prevents heat transfer in the property, but it also strengthens the walls to withstand the elements.
Internal Wall Insulation
Internal wall insulation means insulating the homes internally by attaching insulation to the interior walls. However, this only involves walls in contact with the outside air and not walls between two rooms.
Why Internal Insulation?
- Like external wall insulation, the most obvious advantage of internal wall insulation is to prevent energy loss, cutting back on energy bills.
- Unlike external insulation, internal insulation doesn’t affect the property’s external appearance.
- Interior insulation is easier than external insulation, such that it is a possible DYI job.
