When insulating your home, you can choose from many types of insulation. To select the best kind of insulation, you should first determine where you want or need the insulation.
Another factor is to determine the R-Value of the material you choose. This is the thermal resistance of the material. Generally, the higher the R-value, the better it will perform.
If you’re starting from scratch and building a home, then using insulated concrete forms, literally building the insulation into your home’s structure, is the way to go for maximum efficiency. However, if you’re retro fixing an existing property, cavity or external wall insulation is probably the best option for maximum energy efficiency. Remember to look for the option that has the most appropriate R-value that works best for your home’s needs. This will depend on the age of your property, the structure itself and where your house is situated. For example, a house in Scotland will probably have very different needs to one located in sunny Cornwall. In the end, the goal is the same, to provide effective resistance to the flow of heat and cold air.