Year 10 Loft Insulation Coursework

All parts must be completed by THURSDAY LATEST. Your work will be marked over half term so
if you have not completed it you will LOSE MARKS.
Please use the following sections as a checklist and make sure you have included some of the
following points:

Research
why loft insulation is needed
The better insulated your home, the less energy you need to keep it warm - the more money
you'll save in the long run. By saving energy, your household will produce less CO 2. So, adding
or topping up your loft insulation is a great way to do your bit - and reduce your impact on the
environment. (1)
Without proper insulation a lot of the valuable, expensive energy you use to heat your home
will be lost through the loft. Loft insulation is an effective way to save energy and money at
home. A well insulated house keeps warmth exactly where you need it - indoors. So, insulating
your loft - or topping up any insulation you have already - will help to heat your home more
efficiently. Using less energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions (CO2): one of the biggest
causes of climate change. You will also save money on your bills too. (1)

25% of the heat lost from your house every year escapes through the roof (2) The main benefits include (2):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

reduced gas & electricity bills

reduce your homes carbon footprint
keep your house warmer in winter
keep your house cooler in summer
improve your homes energy efficiency rating
increase the value of your home

how loft insulation reduces heat loss

Conduction is by where heat is lost by each molecule passing heat on to another molecule through a substance,
these molecules are in direct contact with each other. You see this clearly when you look at a thermal imaging
picture of a wall. You can see this heat loss is higher where the cavity wall insulation has slumped or not been
correctly filled. (3) Loft insulation works by using a layer of foam or wool which traps air and so is a poor
conductor. Loft insulation materials are poor conductors. The poorer an insulation material is at conducing heat
the better, as this means heat will remain in the building for longer and in doing so reduce your energy bills.
Convection is very similar to conduction but it is when heat loss through the air. Your homes radiators will warm
up when the heating is turned on, these heat the air within the room and this heat is transferred around your
rooms by convection currents. Your house becomes warm but we must remember than hot air will rise. Hot air
rises because when we warm a material the molecules become further apart and make the material lighter than
a colder material. As this warm air rises it will try to leave your home by convection or conduction. (3)
Many homes in the UK have poorly insulated lofts and even when the required amount of insulation is installed
the heat loss will still occur. Fiberglass is a poor conductor of heat and so works well but when challenged with
air movement it fails. To stop convection you must use an insulation that creates a seamless layer and stops
thermal bridging and air leakage. (3)
By installing loft insulation you will be reducing the amount of heat that escapes through your
loft, which means you do not need to have your heating on as high, or for as long, as you did
before installing the insulation!(4)

how the thickness of the loft insulation affects heat loss.

If everyone in the UK installed 270mm loft insulation, we could save around 520 million and
nearly three million tonnes of CO2 every year. That's enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly
380 times. For DIY jobs, quilts should be used which can be laid over the loft's area. (1)

The table below shows how much you could save by increasing thickness of loft insulation just
by increasing it by 50mm(1)

What could you save?

Annual
Saving

Increase in
loft
insulation
thickness
by 270mm

Increase in
loft
insulation
thickness
by 220mm

Around
145

Around 40

This table shows that as you increase the thickness of loft insulation the pay back the annual
saving in energy bills also increases. This would mean there is also a lower payback time. This
can be explained because the thicker the insulation is, the more air pockets there are which
reduces conduction at the roof. This also means there is less heat escaping from the roof and
so energy can be kept in the house making it warmer (4).
Bibliography
1. http://ecogreenrenovations.co.uk/loft-insulation.php
2. http://loftstoragestilts.com/loft-insulation/
3. http://www.ecohomeinsulation.co.uk/Icynene-blog/files/tag-why-do-we-need-loftinsulation.html
4. http://enactenergy.com/?q=insulation/loft-insulation

Planning

Include IV (what you change), DV (What you measure), what are the controls (what
will you keep the same?)
Write an equipment list, draw a diagram of your apparatus.
Include a section on minimising errors- some of the possible errors are a)heat
escaping from the top of the apparatus- can minimise this using a foil/cardboard lid
with a hole in it for thermometer.
Risk Assessment
Possible risks:
Action

Level of Risk

Hot water

Medium

Glass Breakage

Low

Precaution

Boiling water can scald. Care must be taken when pouring the water into the measuring
cylinder. The measuring cylinder will also become very hot so take care when pouring the hot

water into the beaker. Do not sit at the work bench, if hot water is spilled it may go into your
lap. Spilled water can also cause a slipping hazard, to prevent this clean up spillages promptly.

Collecting Data- Your table of results filled in.

No. of layers
Difference (*c)
Repeats
2

start temp (*c)

Average (*c)
1
3

97

95

92

95

34

94

90

90
98

temp after 4min(*c)

1
28

45

95
92

3
26

40

96
93

43

65
73

60
67

64
62

97

93

97

72

77

78

10

94

99

95

87

86

83

Secondary data- This will be given to you. Draw your graph from this.
Graph of results No. of layers on the x axis (0,2,4,6,8,10) average temp
change on y axis. Remember to label axes and put units. Plot correctly using
pencil. Graph must take up at least half the paper. Draw your graph from
your secondary data- everyones graph should look the same.
Question paper: Analysis, Evaluation, Conclusion: To be done on Thursday
Analysis
What patterns/trends can you see on your graph? Use some of your data to
answer this question.
Evaluation
Evaluate your results, method, and conclusion
Conclusion
What can you conclude from your results? How is this linked to your
research.

Secondary Data

No. of layers
Difference (*c)
Repeats
2

start temp (*c)

Average (*c)
1
3

90

92

90

90

24

92

93

90
97

temp after 5min(*c)

1
25

45

95
95

3
23

30

92
92

33

65
73

56
64

54
62

95

92

93

81

87

84

10

92

98

99

89

96

95