Insulation Cladding for Homes

[shotaway]

A neighbour of mine has just had the above fitted to his villa, they are large insulation panels put onto the outside of your home then painted over. I picked up a small piece to examine it as I was slightly interested in the fact, it keeps your villa cool in the summer, and warmer in the winter. But, on inspection the panels are only POLYSTYRENE covered with a thin outer coating of plastic. You can break these as easy as a biscuit.

What concerned me most though, was the fact that I understand polystyrene can be highly flammable and send out toxic fumes when alight, a friend of mine said they were probably non flammable. I tested a bit and it lit up and melted very quickly, sending off a very pungent smell of what I would call toxic fumes.

Please if you are considering having these fitted to your home, ask for the spec and make sure they are not toxic as I fear what would happen if your house was ever to catch fire.