TLX Silver Multifoil Insulation, Keeping Buildings Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer

TLX Silver is the UK’s leading multifoil insulation product. It has been used in thousands of homes and commercial properties across the UK and around the world. 

TLX Silver can be used to improve the thermal efficiency of a property, manage a property’s condensation risk and ultimately reduce the cost of your energy bills. 

But how does it work to keep buildings warm in winter and cool in summer? Here’s everything you need to know about TLX Silver multifoil insulation: 

How Does TLX Silver Multifoil Insulation Work? 

TLX insulation is an innovative multifoil insulation solution that is constructed of highly reflective outer layers that have been designed to minimise solar gain when it’s hot whilst simultaneously reflecting heat back when it’s cold. 

TLX Silver can improve the thermal efficiency of your property significantly, helping you to achieve U values as low as 0.11 W/m²K when it is used alongside traditional insulation. What makes TLX multifoil insulation so special is that it has the ability to control all three types of heat transfer, and the shiny reflective layers also provide complete airtightness to a structure. 

At TLX Insulation, our experts have found that 30mm is the optimal thickness for multifoil insulation: any thicker and you will add bulk whilst gaining limited additional performance, and any thinner will impact the performance benefits of the foil. 

For TLX Silver Multifoil Insulation to be as effective as possible, it is important that it is airtight. The batten size between TLX Silver and any plasterboard should be sufficient to ensure there is an air gap of at least 20 mm for optimal performance. 

Reflective Insulation

It is the reflective surface of TLX Silver that provides much of its insulator properties. TLX Silver is reflective on both its outer and inner layers. This means that it can reflect infrared radiation back into the house when it’s cold, or prevent it from entering the house when it’s warm. 

Between the reflective layers, TLX Silver also has wadding layers inside. The role of these layers is to prevent the material from acting as a conductor. It does this by trapping air between the fibre layers. The inner films are then spaced to prevent convection currents from forming, meaning that TLX Silver uses its reflective insulation to prevent heat loss from a property via all three different types of heat transfer. Radiation, conduction, and convection. 

For this purpose, TLX Silver can be used for roof insulation, pitched roof insulation and wall insulation. 

How Does TLX Silver Minimise Heat Gain in Summer?

During the heat of the summer months, TLX Silver prevents overheating by limiting the amount of solar radiation that enters a property. On a hot day, and when in direct sunlight, an average residential roof can reach temperatures of up to 65 degrees centigrade, meaning that your already hot home could become even hotter. 

TLX Silver will work to prevent this. The reflective outer layers of TLX Silver will reflect heat out, and the wadding layers inside the reflective insulation will prevent conduction through the material. Heat will either be reflected off the multifoils or trapped as warm air inside it, between the fibres, preventing it from entering your home. 

The ability of TLX Silver to prevent overheating by controlling the amount of solar radiation entering a building will make for a much more pleasant, and much cooler, environment during the heat of the summer. For this reason TLX Silver multifoil insulation can be used for both roof and wall insulation. You can use this material as an insulating vapour barrier on the inside of buildings under roof rafters or on the inner face of a wall. 

How Does TLX Silver Minimise Heat Gain in Winter?

Central heating is expensive, so when you’ve heated your home it’s important that it stays inside, rather than escaping through the roof. TLX Silver reflective insulation can play a significant role in minimising heat loss during the winter months. 

The average residential home will lose 30% of its heat from the roof. But multifoil insulation has a fibrous insulating core that will reduce heat loss through both conduction and convection. The low emissivity outer layers of TLX Silver reflect up to 95% of infrared radiation back into a building.

A key example of just how effective TLX Silver can be at minimising heat loss is how the Water Polo pavilion was kept warm at the 2012 Olympics, were TLX Silver created the insulation barrier for the Zaha Hadid Chanel pavilion. The use of TLX Silver insulation meant that the temperatures remained manageable.

Another key element that helps TLX Silver multifoil insulation to minimise heat loss in the winter months is that it is an airtight material. By wrapping this airtight multifoil around a roof or wall, including junctions with other parts of the building such as windows or doors, it makes the whole building envelope more airtight. This reduces
unpleasant cold draughts and prevents the escape of warm air from the house.  

What’s more, because multifoil thermal insulation reduces heat loss, it will take less energy to heat your home, keeping it warm and cosy without breaking the bank. Insulation may cost money to install but it will save money in the long run. According to the Energy Saving Trust, insulating the loft of a detached house will cost around £630, but that will save £590 in energy bills every year, as well as stop 950kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere 

TLX Silver is responsive to changes in the environment. And it is this factor that plays a significant role in ensuring that when a building utilises TLX Silver multifoil insulation, it will remain warm in the winter months and cool in the summer months.

Do you Require a Bespoke Solution or Advice?

We would love to hear from you. Our helpful team of product experts are on hand to help with bespoke solutions and U-Value calculations. Simply call +44 (0)1204 674 730 today.