Flat Roof Insulation

As heat rises, it can easily escape through a non-insulated roof – one of the most common forms of heat loss in homes across the UK. Here we answer all your questions about flat roof insulation – a brilliant method to save money and generate free energy.

What is a flat roof?

Essentially, a horizontal roof – defined as any roof with a pitch of less than 10 degrees.

There are two types:

The cold roof – The more historic type of flat roof. Be wary though; as insulation is placed beneath the deck, many have poor ventilation due to condensation build-up.
The warm roof – Most modern flat roofs are constructed in this way, in which insulation is installed on top of the roof.

What is flat roof insulation?

As flat roofs don’t tend to have loft space, insulation needs to be installed between the ceiling and the roof membrane. The insulating material works to trap air bubbles and halt heat transfer – preventing heat from escaping in the Winter/entering in the Summer.

What are the benefits?

Saves you cash! Save up to a quarter of your energy bills, providing savings of at least £2,400 in just over 10 years.
Stops heat leaving in Winter, but blocks heat entering in Summer – Your property remains at an even temperature throughout the year.
Adds value to your property.
Works to protect your property’s roof – Insulation materials such as rubber bond also work to protect roofs from weather damage.
Reduces your carbon footprint – We should all be thinking about our environmental footprint and roof insulation provides an effective way to reduce a household’s contribution to climate change.

Which type of insulation material is best?

Common materials include polystyrene, wood fibre, perlite and cellular glass. At Zing Energy, we favour an exciting new material – rubber bond fitted with fleeceback. Not only does this insulate the heat, but also protects the roof itself. Our team of trusted contractors would be happy to advise you on the type of insulation best suited to your property.

Just because you haven’t got a loft doesn’t mean you can’t insulate your roof. The bonus of insulation for your flat roof is that it will protect the roof as well. Rubber bond is an exciting new material and a hell of a product! We can install this with a fleeceback and are seeing more and more demand for this. It looks awesome, will protect your roof and will work for 50 years, stopping leakage whilst keeping in the heat.
Zing’s energy expert, Chris Jenkins

What about building regulations?

Whether your property is eligible for flat roof insulation will depend on the immediate environment in your area and specific building regulations.

Consider the following:

To comply with Part L 1b of the building regulations 2010, all flat roofs should be thermally insulated to a 0.25 of a U-value. The local authority will need to inspect the roof to ensure the work is up to standards.
For warm roofs, insulation thickness will depend on the material and manufacturer’s specification. There will need to be a ventilation gap (usually 50mm) between the top of the insulation and underside of the roof covering.

We strongly recommend speaking to a qualified contractor such as Zing Energy for a more
detailed quote on work.