Thermal insulation of a house in Morocco: where to insulate, with what, at what cost

By Yassine AT-TARASSI, architect · Updated on 24/10/2026 · Reference texts (7)

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A poorly insulated house is an oven in summer and cold in winter, and air conditioning cannot make up for everything. This guide, for overseas Moroccans, foreign owners and investors, explains where to insulate first, how to compare materials and what it costs for a house, an apartment building or a facility, according to the CITURBAREA cost simulator and materials library.

Disclaimer: published costs are indicative outputs of the CITURBAREA estimator (October 2026 version), not binding quotations, technical designs or compliance certificates. Apartment buildings and public-use facilities require project-specific drawings, specialist studies, applicable regulations and contractor quotations.

Why insulate a house in Morocco?

The sun heats the roof terrace all day, and the heat comes down into the top-floor rooms at night. In inland and mountain towns, winter cold is the problem. Insulation cuts these exchanges: the building stays cooler in summer, milder in winter, and air conditioning runs less. Law no. 47-09 on energy efficiency (dahir no. 1-11-161 of 29/09/2011) is the legal basis for the energy performance of buildings.

What does the thermal regulation (RTCM) require?

The RTCM (Moroccan thermal building regulation) is the general building regulation set by decree no. 2-13-874 of 15/10/2014, published in Official Bulletin no. 6306 of 06/11/2014. It sets thermal requirements for the building envelope (roof, walls, floors, glazing) across six climate zones, with two ways to comply: a prescriptive approach (element-by-element values) or a performance approach (overall calculation).

This guide gives no value per climate zone: values depend on the municipality, the building type and the method chosen, and they are read in the published text. Insulation thickness is therefore not a price choice: it is checked by a thermal calculation for the project, done by the architect or the engineering firm. The application guides once published by AMEE (the Moroccan energy efficiency agency) no longer appear on its new website (checked 23/10/2026).

Where should you insulate first?

1. The roof terrace, which receives the most sun. Insulation is laid with the waterproofing (see flat roof waterproofing).
2. Windows: single glazing lets through far more heat than a wall. See aluminium windows (thermal break, double glazing).
3. West- and south-facing walls: cavity wall with insulation, autoclaved aerated concrete blocks (standard NM EN 771-4) or external insulation.
4. Thermal bridges: slab edges, exposed columns and beams, parapets, where concrete crosses the insulation.
5. The ground floor over a crawl space or an unheated area.

How much does installed roof insulation cost?

Method note: CITURBAREA simulator, version 2026-10, calculated on 23/10/2026; contractor selling prices excl. VAT in Kénitra (regional factor 0.93), board supply, 5% waste and installation; boards priced in October 2026 (retail prices presumed to include VAT, converted to excl. VAT); installation time: engine assumption; incl. VAT = excl. VAT × 1.20; rounded to the nearest 5 MAD.

Rounding: amounts excluding and including VAT and quantities are each shown after rounding, so the product of the visible values may differ from the total by a few dirhams. Contract calculations must start from unrounded quantities and unit prices.

For a 150 m² two-storey house in Kénitra (75 m² roof), the simulator puts the waterproofing and insulation package at about 30,000 MAD excl. VAT with 4 cm EPS and about 35,000 MAD excl. VAT with 4 cm XPS: choosing XPS costs about 5,000 MAD excl. VAT more (calculated on 23/10/2026). The simulator does not yet price wall insulation: it is quoted from the drawings. For your own areas, run a cost estimate of your project.

What the price includes, and what it excludes

Avoid double counting: waterproofing and insulation systems may be included in the same package. The values shown per item must be checked against the bill of quantities to identify the components already included.

• Included in the prices above: supply of 4 cm boards, 5% waste, installation on the roof by a contractor, overheads and margin.
• Excluded: the waterproofing itself, the screed to falls and the protection (priced separately in the package), a vapour barrier when the system needs one, thicknesses above 4 cm, insulation of walls, ground floors and thermal bridges, stripping an old roof, VAT in the excl. VAT column, fees and contingencies.
• Not proven by the price: RTCM compliance. A price per m² says nothing about the performance required in your zone; only the project's thermal check does.

Which materials are available, and at what supply price?

Method note: supply only, rounded to the nearest 5 MAD. EPS and XPS rows: retail prices recorded in October 2026, presumed to include VAT and converted to excl. VAT by the simulator. Other rows: prices displayed by Moroccan suppliers, recorded by the CITURBAREA materials library on 23/10/2026, one source per product; VAT treatment not confirmed; not directly comparable with an installed price excl. VAT.

To compare data sheets (declared λ, product standard, fire behaviour) and displayed prices, open the materials library (free account).

How do you calculate insulation performance?

Each insulation product has a thermal conductivity λ (lambda), in W/m·K, declared by the manufacturer under its product standard. The lower λ, the better. The layer's thermal resistance is R = thickness (m) ÷ λ, in m²·K/W; the higher R, the better.

• Worked example: 4 cm of a board declared at λ 0.032 gives R = 0.04 ÷ 0.032 = 1.25 m²·K/W.
• 6 cm of the same board gives R = 0.06 ÷ 0.032 ≈ 1.9 m²·K/W.

These examples show the method; they do not tell you which R to aim for. The target R, and so the thickness, is set for each element by the thermal check for the climate zone and the provisions applying to the project. Whole-element U-values, thermal bridges and ground losses follow standardised methods (NM ISO 6946, NM ISO 10211, NM ISO 13370). Be wary of an "announced" R with no data sheet or declared λ.

For a development apartment building

R+4 apartment building: a feasibility estimate, not a bill of quantities. The amounts shown come from a simulation scenario (1,200 m², 11 flats, Kénitra, parameters of 23/10/2026). Before any investment decision, the client needs a fixed brief, a preliminary take-off per trade, soil and structural studies, utility connection conditions and the requirements of the competent services, a contingency allowance and comparable quotations. Items already included in one package must not be added a second time.

For a five-storey (R+4) building of 1,200 m² in Kénitra (240 m² roof, two party walls, mid-range), the simulator puts the waterproofing and insulation package at about 94,000 MAD excl. VAT with 4 cm EPS (of which ≈ 8,000 MAD of insulation) and about 111,000 MAD excl. VAT with 4 cm XPS (of which ≈ 25,000 MAD), i.e. 80 to 90 MAD excl. VAT per m² of floor area (IMMEUBLE type, calculated on 23/10/2026). In a building, roof insulation only protects the top floor: flats on the middle floors depend mostly on façade walls, windows and balcony thermal bridges, which the simulator does not yet price. The thermal check covers the whole building from the sketch stage. For developers, CITURBAREA builds these choices into the feasibility study, developer's appraisal and bill of quantities.

Developers: have the economic feasibility of your plot analysed: saleable areas, common parts, parking options, structure, utility connections, forecast cost per package and permit risks. Ask for an initial scoping review; detailed studies and costings are covered by a contractually defined assignment.

For a facility (school, clinic, hotel, shop)

Schools, clinics, hotels, shops and warehouses: requirements vary. Fire safety, accessibility, sanitary facilities, ventilation, operational safety and permits depend on the precise use, the number of occupants, floor areas, number of storeys and the activity. Regulatory references must be checked for the project concerned. The CITURBAREA simulator offers an indicative estimate by type of building open to the public (school or nursery, clinic or medical practice, hotel or riad, shop, offices, warehouse or workshop), based on a standard brief and on price and ratio assumptions still to be confirmed: no ratio is a quotation for this kind of project.

For a two-storey (R+1) private school of 1,000 m² in Kénitra (the simulator's "school or nursery" ERP type, detached building, 500 m² roof, mid-range), the simulator gives about 16,000 MAD excl. VAT of 4 cm EPS, or about 51,000 MAD excl. VAT in 4 cm XPS, i.e. about 36,000 MAD more; the waterproofing and insulation package goes from about 184,000 to 220,000 MAD excl. VAT (calculated on 24/10/2026). This is an indicative estimate: the standard brief and several prices in the ERP section are assumptions still to be confirmed. What changes, with no further figure at this stage:

• Fire behaviour of insulation: the fire safety regulation (decree no. 2-14-499, Official Bulletin no. 6306) governs materials according to the type of establishment; the applicable articles are checked with the competent services and the inspection firm.
• Thermal requirements by building type and zone, checked by calculation; higher internal gains (pupils, patients, kitchens, shop windows).
• Inspection firm, engineers and insurance: the ACAPS page lists commercial, hotel, sports and accommodation buildings among those subject to compulsory contractors' all-risks and ten-year liability insurance; schools and clinics are not named: check with your insurer.
• Special packages: solar shading, insulation of plant rooms, insulating suspended ceilings.

Facility owners: ask for a brief scoping review before any costing: capacity, flows and operation, security and fire safety, maintenance, technical needs, permits and overall operating cost. A specific consultation will determine which studies to commission. For a first order of magnitude, run the simulator's ERP costing, then book a brief scoping appointment.

How is roof insulation installed?

1. Choose the system with the roofer: insulation under the membrane on a vapour barrier, or a water-resistant board laid to the manufacturer's system.
2. Check thickness, type and data sheet (declared λ, product standard) on delivery.
3. Lay boards tight, joints staggered, without crushing or wetting them.
4. Treat edges and parapets to avoid thermal bridges.
5. Cover quickly with the waterproofing, then carry out the water test required by the specification (CPS) before the protection layer.

Which mistakes to avoid, and what does the architect check?

• Thinner boards delivered than quoted: thickness is checked on delivery.
• No data sheet or no declared λ: data sheet checked before installation.
• Open joints, crushed or wet boards: the insulation loses part of its value.
• Forgotten thermal bridges at slab edges and parapets: continuity is checked.
• Wrong fire behaviour in a high-risk room: products are classed under NM EN 13501-1, and decree no. 2-14-499 sets fire safety rules for buildings.

Which standards apply to insulation?

Standards are paid documents: we give their reference and subject. Their status was checked against the Ministry of Industry list of mandatory standards, updated on 09/03/2026.

• NM EN 13162 to 13165 (factory-made insulation: mineral wool, EPS, XPS, polyurethane): approved Moroccan standards, not on the mandatory list of 09/03/2026; they become contractual when the CPS cites them.
• NM ISO 8873-2006 (sprayed polyurethane foam for building insulation) and NM EN 14509-2015 (insulating metal-faced sandwich panels): mandatory for the products concerned (list of 09/03/2026).
• NM ISO 6946, NM ISO 10211, NM ISO 13370: calculation methods, approved standards, not mandatory.
• NM EN 13501-1 (reaction-to-fire classification) and NM EN 771-4 (aerated concrete blocks): approved standards, not mandatory according to the list of 09/03/2026.
• Decree no. 2-13-874 (RTCM): Moroccan regulation, published in Official Bulletin no. 6306.

How do you price insulation for your project?

Measure the roof area, note your municipality and building type, and have the thickness checked by a thermal calculation before comparing quotes. For the overall build cost, see house construction cost per m². To find out what insulation your project requires and what it will cost, book a video call with the architect.

Frequently asked questions