DESCRIPTION
Wall and loft insulation are used to reduce heat loss through walls and roof space by filling the air space with a porous material. This immobilises the air within the cavity (air is still the actual insulator), preventing convection, and can substantially reduce space heating costs.

During new build, cavities are often filled with glass fibre matting placed between the two leaves of the wall, and loft insulation is placed either between the joists or between the rafters (for attic rooms) and boarded over. Many other building insulation materials (including recycled paper and wool) offer various advantages and many others are also widely used. Cellulose is the oldest building insulation material. Many types of cellulosic materials have been used, including newspaper, cardboard, cotton, straw, sawdust, hemp and corncob. Modern cellulose insulation, made with recycled newspaper using grinding and dust removing machines and adding a fire retardant, began in the 1950s and came into general use during the 1970s. Cellulose has the highest recycled content of any insulation material and also has less embodied energy than fibreglass and other furnace produced mineral insulations.

For existing buildings that were not built with insulated cavities, a fibrous material such as cellulose insulation is blown into the cavity through suitably drilled holes until it fills the entire wall space, or foam is injected.

With environmental conditions becoming more of an issue, people now take much more interest in reducing energy wastage and cavity wall and loft insulation are a cost effective way to reduce the amount of heat (as much as 60%). As well as being more environmentally friendly, it can reduce heating costs as more of the heat is used effectively and it is often used as a first step, due to its low payback time and smaller initial installation costs.

How much insulation a house should have depends on building design, climate, energy costs, budget, and personal preference. Regional climates make for different requirements. Building codes specify only the bare minimum; insulating beyond what code requires is often recommended.
In cold conditions, the main aim is to reduce heat flow out of the building. The components of the building envelope - windows, roofs and walls, and air infiltration are all important sources of heat loss; in an otherwise well insulated home, windows will then become an important source of heat transfer.

Attention to building construction (weatherization) and the correct installation of insulation materials is a critical component in achieving optimal thermal performance by minimising convective losses.

AIRTIGHT ENEVELOPE
The thermal envelope defines the conditioned or living space in a house. The attic or basement may or may not be included in this area. Air movement contributes significantly to convective heat loss or gain. Depending on climate, up to 40% of a building's heat loss or gain is due to air leaks. Reducing air infiltration is the first step in insulating a building and is quite difficult to achieve. Quality of work is the key. Good weatherization is vital to allow most insulation products to work properly.

With an airtight building, consideration also must be made to appropriate ventilation and moisture control.

THERMAL BRIDGES
Thermal bridges are points in the building envelope that allow heat conduction to occur. Since heat flows through the path of least resistance, thermal bridges can contribute to poor energy performance. A thermal bridge is created when materials create a continuous path across a temperature difference, in which the heat flow is not interrupted by thermal insulation. Common building materials that are poor insulators include: wood, rubber, dense masonry, and above all, metal.

A building design may have limited capacity for insulation in some areas of the structure. A common construction design is based on stud walls, in which thermal bridges are common in wood or steel studs and joists, which are typically fastened with metal. Notable areas that most commonly lack sufficient insulation are the corners of buildings, and areas where insulation has been removed or displaced to make room for system infrastructure, such as electrical boxes (outlets and light switches), plumbing, fire alarm equipment, etc.

SOLID WALLS
Exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) can be used on new buildings and also can be installed on existing walls, called "retrofitting", to upgrade the appearance and provide insulation, without affecting the activities indoors during the renovation (EIFS is installed completely from the outside of the building).

EIFS consists of three layers that are installed in the following order:
A layer of foam plastic insulation (also called simply "foam") that comes in sheets. If an adhesive is used to attach the insulation, the adhesive is applied to the foam with a trowel.

A reinforced layer that is applied onto the face of the insulation with a trowel, consisting of a fibreglass reinforcing mesh ( or "mesh") embedded in a cement-like adhesive.

A final topcoat, or finish, which is a coloured, textured paint-like material that is applied with a trowel or, very rarely, by spraying. A wide range of colours and textures are available as well as custom colours. Available textures include smooth surfaces, rough "stucco-like" textures, embedded stone chips, multi-colour (granite-like mixtures,) and even brick-like treatments. This layer is called the finish. It is acquired by floating.

EIFS has a number of features that contribute to its popularity, including a modern seamless look, the ability to mimic other materials, reasonable cost, and high energy efficiency. EIFS looks like traditional stucco or concrete, and is very common through North America.

Alternatively, particularly where a property is listed or in a conservation area, insulation can be fitted to the interior face of a property’s structural envelope, but this isn’t as common due to the slight reduction in interior floor space.

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