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Thermal insulation, to feel better at home

Our tips for renovating your home to make it more comfortable and energy efficient.
Worker who carries out thermal insulation

Feeling better at home, improving comfort at home, saving money to improve your retirement, while having a positive impact on the environment. All these factors are good reasons to think about insulating your home, whether it is a single-family house or a flat.

Fuel poverty is a scourge, with nearly 5 million "thermal flats" in France, out of 29 million main residences according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which published a study on the subject in September 2020. This term refers to housing in category F and G on the DPE - Diagnostic de Performance Energétique - scale. Alongside this, 7 million homes are in category E, corresponding to an average energy performance. If you have a property rated E, you are therefore situated in the national average, but this rating may well make some energy optimisation work relevant.

The ideal solution is, of course, a comprehensive renovation: insulation of the roof, walls, floor and joinery, together with careful work on air and moisture flows and weak areas in the insulation (known as "thermal bridges"). According to ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition, up to 30% of heat loss is through the roof, 25% through the walls and 15% through the windows. Of course, each dwelling has its own specificities, so it is advisable to start with a precise diagnosis.

Insulating your roof or attic

"Hot air rises". Therefore, insulating the roof to prevent the warm air accumulated at the top of the house from escaping is often recommended by professionals, and rightly so. The most common technique is to insulate the roof from the inside. In practice, this involves applying a layer of insulation to the roof structure and covering it with a wall covering to restore the room's appearance. If the attic is not inhabited, it is possible to place insulation on the floor of the attic, which is a simpler solution to implement.

Replace your windows

This is often an essential step in a renovation project. By changing your single-glazed windows for modern double-glazed windows, you will be sure to reduce the coldness felt in your home due to cold glass, and can easily lower your heating thermostat.

The most radical solution consists of replacing the entire window: the frame (immobile part fixed in the wall) and the sash (mobile part). This makes it possible to maximise the glazed area so as not to lose or even gain light. On the other hand, the work is significant and you will often have to embellish your walls again: plaster, paint, wallpaper, etc. Without changing your windows completely, it is possible to change only the frame. This is a simpler solution to implement, which will not solve all the insulation defects of your joinery, but will already have a good effect on thermal and acoustic insulation.

Several materials are possible, depending on your budget and taste. PVC, aluminium or wood, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. To combine the advantages of the different materials, it is also possible to opt for a combination of wood and aluminium or PVC and aluminium.

Be aware that old, poorly insulated windows often have the advantage of providing ventilation in your home. Replacing them with perfectly airtight windows may cause humidity problems, which should be anticipated by reviewing the ventilation system in your home.

Insulating walls

There are two techniques: insulation from the outside or insulation from the inside. Insulation from the outside is very effective. It consists of putting a second layer around the house, to considerably reduce the exchange of energy between the inside and the outside. This is often an opportunity to make an aesthetic transformation, but it is not always possible, for example for historic properties with a cachet or well protected, and is subject to sometimes tedious administrative constraints.

If the facade is in good condition, it may be possible to insulate under plaster, which consists of attaching insulating panels, for example in polystyrene, to the facade before covering them with a flexible mesh and a finishing plaster. It is also possible to insulate under cladding, with strips of glass wool or rock wool trapped under PVC, composite, aluminium or wood cladding.

It is also possible to insulate the walls from the inside, with insulating panels or with insulating material under a metal frame. Note that this will necessarily reduce the living space of your home.

What are the funding possibilities?

Insulation work on a house has a significant cost, which will depend on many parameters: surface area, type of work, materials chosen, etc... The effectiveness of this work is no longer in question, and the return on investment can be rapid in terms of energy savings, given that there are several ecological aids to apply for.

Whether you are a landlord or an owner-occupier, you can benefit from financial aid for your insulation work, such as MaPrimRenov'. Launched on 1 January 2020 to replace the CITE (tax credit for energy transition), the amount of the bonus depends on your income and the ecological gain of the work. There are other forms of assistance, such as the Energy Saving Certificates (CEE), or assistance from local authorities or Action logement. In addition, your work benefits from a reduced VAT rate of 5.5%. For your renovation work, consider choosing a professional with the RGE label.

In addition, as the owner of your home, you have a property portfolio, which has often increased in value over time. To be able to carry out all the renovation work you dream of, it is time to access this real estate wealth by releasing funds to finance your work. With the Reverso Flex solution, Dillan gives you the money you need to complete all your projects. You choose the amount you want to release, with ease!

Do you want to insulate your home? With Dillan, free yourself from your financial constraints!