Home Design Guides: Climate control

Different types of insulation work in different ways to help control the way heat and sound travel through your home.

Different sorts of insulation vary in terms of how effective they are at controlling heat and sound, how they can be installed and how much they cost. Find out what's right for your home.

Effective insulation plays a starring role in how well a house is able to separate the climate inside from that outside - and is therefore a critical part of passive house design and climate control.

There are all kinds of options when it comes to thermal insulation. Find out what sorts of insulation are available, and what's likely to suit your house.

Find out what sort of insulation is required in different parts of your home, and why. Learn more about roof, wall, under-floor, door and window insulation.

Pinning down exactly what constitutes a ‘sustainable home’ isn't easy - but understanding the kinds of things that really matter will help you go a long way towards building one.

Passive house design involves controlling the climate in a home - and there's a lot more to it than just making sure you have enough insulation or that you have double glazing.

The main purpose of passive design is to reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling - which often requires a lot of energy. Find out more about climate control measures for passively designed houses.

A home's roof plays a huge role in how effectively it's heated and cooled. A roof that's designed with the house's position and climate in mind can vastly improve how the climate in your home is regulated.

The walls of your home can represent a significant amount of mass, and depending on how they're positioned can be used to either collect heat from the sun or prevent it from heating your home.

Floors - especially concrete slab floors which can absorb a lot of heat during the day - can be used to great effect when it comes to designing for passive heating and cooling in a house.

Doors and windows are easily the weakest links in your home when it comes to passive design. Find out how you can control heat gain, heat loss and air infiltration through and around doors and windows.

Heaters and air conditioners can easily account for most of your energy consumption if you allow them to. Find out what you can do to minimise the need for artificial heating and cooling, and to reduce your consumption.

There are many different ways to keep warm - and many practical differences between different types of heater.

There are a few important performance considerations you need to understand in order to get your head around how home ventilation should work.

Cooling technologies differ hugely in terms of their initial and running costs, environmental impact, and how effectively they actually cool the air in your home. What's right for your place?

• Reduces heat transfer very effectively
• Excellent acoustic insulation
• Costs much more than single glazing

• Improves solar and thermal control
• Reduces UV transmission
• Relatively expensive
• Can reduce solar heat gain in winter

Cooling your home doesn’t necessarily mean installing powered air conditioning units.