External pitched roof insulation by YBS

External pitched roof insulation solutions

The YBS Insulation range for external pitched roof insulation, which consists of BreatherQuilt, Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra, has numerous advantages. Replacing a standard breather membrane with one of our a 3-in-1 waterproof, breathable and reflective aluminium foil insulating roofing membranes gives you a much better thermal performance. In addition to being made in Britain, our products cover every budget, are easy to install and eco-friendly, containing a significant amount of recycled material.

Better than a standard breather membrane

The original YBS external pitched roof insulation offer consisted of BreatherQuilt, which is Fully Agrément Certified, Building Control Compliant and NHBC accepted. Recently, we have expanded our range with Breathe-R, our entry-level product, and Breathe-R Ultra, our middle-entry product. Catering to every budget, our roofing membranes nevertheless all remove the need for a separate breather membrane as it is built into the product. This also means that, while keeping the overall roof profile height down to a minimum, there is a significant reduction in heat loss as compared to merely using a standard breather membrane.

BreatherQuilt, Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra respectively add 10, 2 and 1 layer(s) to a roofing membrane called RoofTX which is:

  • BBA certified and CE marked
  • Agrément certified by BBA in the UK for use in warm non-ventilated, cold ventilated and non-ventilated pitched roof systems and walling
  • manufactured in the UK
  • highly resistant to water penetration, wind driven rain, snow and dust
  • stabilised against UV degradation

Easy to install

BreatherQuilt, Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra are flexible and lightweight, making the membranes easy to handle. Moreover, they all have a built in double-sided self-adhesive tape for ease of installation. Simply remove the tape’s liner for a 25-millimetre overlap to secure the next layer and to remove the risk of thermal bridging, creating an airtight continuous layer of high-performance insulation.

Moreover, as Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra are only 2 and 11 millimetres thick respectively, we can manufacture them in 25-metre-long rolls that are still easy to handle, enabling you to effortlessly cover large areas.

Equivalent insulation thickness

BreatherQuilt has an R-Value of 1.62 m²K/W, equivalent to

  • 75 mm of mineral wool insulation
  • 65 mm of EPS insulation
  • 35 mm of PIR insulation

Breathe-R Ultra is a breathable and a high thermal efficient product with an overall thermal resistance value of 0.711 (m2 K/W), equivalent to

  • 35 mm of mineral wool insulation
  • 30 mm of EPS insulation
  • 16 mm of PIR insulation

Finally, Breathe-R gives an overall R-value of 0.450 (m2 K/W), equivalent to

  • 20 mm of mineral wool insulation
  • 20 mm of EPS insulation
  • 10 mm of PIR insulation

Sustainability

By manufacturing our range of external pitched roof insulation products (as well as all our other membranes) in the UK, we significantly reduce our environmental footprint. But the membranes themselves are also environmentally friendly because we use as much recycled materials as possible to make them. The polyester wadding in the Breathe-R Ultra and Breathe-R membranes contain 70% recycled material, while BreatherQuilt is manufactured using 72% recycled materials.

Other technical properties

BreatherQuilt, Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra eliminate condensation, by allowing moisture to pass through the membrane, while still effectively reflecting heat back into the room. According to the Energy Saving Trust and other sources, 25% of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home. Insulating your roof is then a very effective means of reducing heat loss and lowering energy bills. Breathe-R and Breathe-R Ultra guarantee up to 39% and 54% reduction in heat loss respectively, while BreatherQuilt even offers a 76% decrease (based on a single layer in a pitched roof).

Advice on pitched roof insulation?

Our experts are available for free technical advice for specifiers. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with them via 01909 726 025. For more information on our external pitched roof insulation products, feel free to consult our downloads section, our installation videos and the installation tips and advice available on our website.