Before beginning construction of a kitchen island, it is essential to determine the type of thermal insulation to be used in the project, as the width of the island is the primary factor in this decision. There is no doubt that a building’s thermal insulation is one of the most important factors homeowners seek when building their homes.
Thermal insulation is considered one of the most important components of a home, and one of its key benefits is reducing electricity consumption by up to 40% of the summer electricity bill, as extreme heat is managed using multiple air conditioning systems to a comfortable environment inside the home. Since the energy used to operate air conditioning units is very high, we observe a decrease in electricity consumption costs during the winter. There is no doubt that conserving energy from all sources is a legitimate and national imperative, and it provides financial savings for the homeowner, as thermal insulation works to limit heat leakage and transfer from outside the building to inside during the summer, and from inside to outside during the winter, thus achieving the desired goal of comfort for the home’s occupants. Thermal insulation also reduces fuel consumption for heating in the winter.
The floor plan: It consists of one or more blocks representing the actual floor plan and is constructed between the columns according to the blueprints, revealing the building’s actual shape and the size of each room.
The lintel for interior walls between halls, living rooms, and bedrooms: The width of the interior walls is usually 20 cm or as per the approved plan. The frame is built using a single 20-cm block, and when the walls are constructed later, 20-cm concrete blocks are used.
Wall base for exterior walls (surrounding the building): There are several dimensions for the exterior wall lintel, determined based on the wall width and the thickness of the thermal insulation, as we will discuss. The importance of this lies in the width of the lintel for which we are constructing the support.
20 cm exterior wall lintel width: The lintel is constructed (using a single 20 cm block), and when building the walls, either concrete blocks filled with thermal insulation (cork), standard red bricks or insulated bricks (cork), or Siporex blocks are used. (the 20 cm wide insulated wall) provides good insulation, but heat still seeps into the building through the cement mortar between the blocks, as well as where openings are made for electrical wiring, plumbing, and air conditioning, causing a loss of insulation. This is addressed with cement mortar, which in turn conducts heat.
30 cm exterior wall thickness: The lintel is constructed (using two 15 cm blocks placed side by side, or a 20 cm block and a 10 cm block, resulting in a lintel width of 30 cm). When constructing the walls, 10 cm blocks are used on the exterior and 15 cm blocks on the interior, with a 4 cm-wide thermal insulation layer placed between the inner and outer blocks (the two walls with thermal insulation in between). This system provides good thermal insulation and is superior to a single insulated wall, as the interior wall is completely insulated, and heat is not transferred through the cement mortar between the blocks or when making cutouts for electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning, as these openings are within the interior wall, reducing the chance of heat leakage or heat reaching the interior wall thanks to the thermal insulation between the two walls.
The width of the exterior wall’s base is 35 cm: The lintel (a 20 cm block + a 15 cm block, making the lintel 35 cm wide) is constructed. When building the walls, a 10 cm block is used on the exterior and a 15 cm block on the interior, An 8-cm-wide thermal insulation layer is placed between the inner and outer blocks. Here, the columns must be 35 cm wide. When the column is 20 cm wide, a 15-cm-wide red brick block is built in front of the columns, or 4 cm of thermal insulation is placed in front of the column, followed by a 10 cm brick wall. This provides thermal insulation for the columns as well, and this is the best method of thermal insulation for walls. God willing, next week we will continue with the steps for building a dining table.
