ChandraRam wrote:
Is fibreglass insulation the norm nowadays?
Here in Norway, it is the "norm", in the sense "most used". That is is what you compare the other alternatives to. I believe that #2 is the stuff with brand name "Rockwool" - I do not know the generic name. Its insulation qualities is similar to glass wool, but it is heavier, so if you live nearby a noisy road, it will give you better noise insulation. It also is practically speaking non-flameable; glass wool isn't too bad in case of a fire, but rockwool is better. Variants of styrofoam are used, but in a fire it burns badly and can release toxic gases. So styrofoam is mostly used e.g. under concrete basement floors, protected against open fire. Between the basement floor and the ground you would usually use pebbles of expanded clay aggregate, commonly known as "LECA". I am planning an extension of my house; to satisfy the modern requirements of U-value < 0.1 for a floor (i.e. a loss of less than 0.1 W per square meter per delta K), I could use e.g. 30 cm LECA topped with 25 cm styrofoam, or 40 cm LECA and 20 cm styrofoam; styrofoam is almost three times as good an insulator as LECA, but a lot more expensive. In the old days, outer walls were sometimes filled with sawdust, which is also a good (not excellent) insulator. In the old days, every farm had a wood saw, so the cost was next to zero. The problem is if it gets wet and start to rotten. Today, there are numerous high-tech (read as: high cost) alternatives. None of them are ready to knock out glass wool as what everything is being compared to. The biggest heat drain in the outer walls is the windows. So the maximum allowed U-value of 0.8 W/sqm*K requires, for all practical purposes, 3 layers of glass. Also, there is a strong focus on draft as an energy thief. For new houses, you will be living inside a sealed plastic bubble where no air can get in or out except in a very controlled manner through a ventilation system. At the final acceptance test for a new building, they actually do close all windows and vents and set the house under pressure to see if more air leaks out than what is tolerated. I am happy to live in an old house that is not a plastic bubble, even though it does leak some air out in winter, and in at other times of the year. (Nor am I obliged to honor that U<0.1 requirement for the basement floor of my extension, but I will do it to save on my power bill!)
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