Handy Guide To Home Insulation

Home insulation is arguably one of the best ways to cut your fuel bills and reduce your carbon footprint, our handy guide to home insulation helps you save money. If you are planning to insulate your home, then there are a few things that you should bear in mind. This Handy Guide To Home Insulation will highlight them, though it is also wise to get expert advice beforehand.

Nearly all homes can be insulated in some way, but to what degree will depend on their structure. Since around a third of a home’s heat loss is through the walls and a quarter through the roof, these are the best areas to add insulation. Investing in cavity wall and loft insulation does save a lot of energy, and you can cut your bills by around £270* a year. Based on this figure, your home insulation should cover its cost within 2 years.

Then there is the benefit to the environment, because if properly done home insulation will stop you emitting several tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. If you stopped to consider what would happen if everyone had their walls and loft insulated, then you would be amazed. Research shows that UK households would save around £1,210* million on fuel costs and it would prevent about 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being pumped into our atmosphere. So let’s talk a bit more about cavity wall and loft insulation.

What Is Cavity Wall Insulation?

The external walls of most UK homes built after the 1920s have two layers with a gap or cavity between them. Without cavity wall insulation, you are wasting money by trying to heat the air between the two walls. Filling the gap with cavity wall insulation will significantly lower the amount of heat escaping through the walls and help prevent condensation building up on your walls and ceilings. You will feel the difference straight away, because it will also create a more even temperature throughout your home.

Installing it does not cost that much, and it can be done quickly and without mess. A registered installer will inject it into the cavity from outside, and it generally takes a few hours to do on a typical three bedroom semi.

Cavity wall insulation costs around £250 to install, however as mentioned before, it will pay for itself after a couple of years because of the money you will save on your bills. There are also government grants available to help reduce the cost, so it is worth checking to see if you qualify.

What Is Loft Insulation?

Your roof loses around 25% of the heat in your home, and loft insulation is the best way to stop this from happening. It is most effective when you use a thickness of at least 270mm, so if you have existing loft insulation that is less than this, then it is worth adding another layer. Once installed, it should last at least 40 years, and save you around £150 a year on heating costs.

You can choose from a number of materials to insulate your loft; however the most common is mineral wool. Some also choose real wool for a natural alternative. It costs around £250 to install professionally, or is free if you want to do it yourself! There are also government grants available to help towards buying and installing it, so always find out if you are eligible.

The information in this article should only to be used as a guide. If you are considering cavity wall or loft insulation, do more reading up first.

More information can be found by contacting your local installer or your energy supplier. Energy advisory websites like energysavingtrust.org.uk are also good places to visit.

*Source – Energy Saving Trust 2009.