Insulation provides a powerful way of reducing the running costs of your commercial premises. In many cases, it can bring about substantial improvements with only a modest short-term investment. Let’s take a closer look at it, and what it does.
What is insulation?
Any material used to slow the spread of heat from one place to another can be considered insulation. It’s typically made from a mass of fibres (typically fibreglass ones), which work in much the same way as a woolly jumper. In most cases, it’s not the material itself that acts to slow the spread of heat, but the air pockets that sit between the fibres. As such, insulation tends to lose its efficacy if it’s compressed.
Of course, insulation comes in many different forms besides fibrous blankets. You might see foam solutions used. These are often squirted into gaps to provide extra insulation into areas where it isn’t practical to lay down fibreglass.
Then there’s concrete, which is a fairly cheap and effective insulator. The major downside of concrete is aesthetic – it tends to look unappealing, which can be especially consequential in period properties whose looks need to be preserved.
Benefits of insulation in commercial buildings
So, why might insulation be particularly effective in commercial buildings, and is it worth the investment?
To begin with, insulation will directly reduce the amount that you spend on heating. When the heat energy can’t escape as quickly from your building, your boiler (or air conditioning system) will need to work that much less hard to replace it. If you’re starting from a low base, the investment in insulation can make a big difference.
Insulation will also help to make the temperatures more stable, and the environment that much more cosy. Buildings which are comfortable to work in will tend to be more productive. If you happen to be welcoming visitors and customers onto your premises, the investment might also help them to feel more comfortable, too.
We should also consider that well-insulated buildings will not only be warmer in the winter, but colder in the summer, too. This might make a particularly big difference in buildings with metal exteriors, which will draw in lots of heat during the middle of summer.
There are also noise-pollution considerations to weigh. In many cases, insulation slows the spread of sound, as well as that of heat. In some situations, this can be invaluable. If you have an office sitting adjacent to a busy workshop or factory, then insulation might help to create a quiet, relatively peaceful work environment in the former while still allowing work to continue in the latter.
When considering whether to invest in insulation,a simple cost-benefit analysis might reveal how long it will take the heat savings to pay for the changes. But given all of these benefits, it might be that the investment is worth making, even if it will take a few years for it to pay for itself.
