When it comes to home insulation, we’ve got over 30 years of expertise. Here’s a guide to cover all the bases.
So you might be feeling extra cold this winter, or noticing draught in your home. Even if you aren’t, if your home isn’t insulated then you are wasting energy and money heating your property. That’s why insulating your home is essential. Some fixes are very cheap and easy to do, but others are a bit more time consuming and expensive. However, it’s worth it in the long run for staying nice and toasty and keeping those energy bills down. We’ll go through some ways you can cut the cost of these essential improvements in this article.
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It’s important to insulate your homes’ walls
Many people don’t realise that the most heat in a property is lost through the walls – around 35% to be precise. However, wall insulation is a big and expensive job. Most new build houses will have insulation built-in, but older properties will most likely not have any at all.
Luckily, cavity walls can be filled with insulation materials quite easily. Solid walls can be dry-lined with thermal plasterboard, but this does add a little thickness to the walls, decreasing floor space. Radiators, sockets and the like might need to be moved to accommodate for the dry lining too.
Our team are well versed in all manner of techniques for insulating your walls. They’ll visit your home and carry out a full assessment to let you know in honesty what needs to be done.
Doors and windows – quick and not-so-quick fixes
The next highest amount of heat lost is roughly 25% through doors and windows. An easy way to keep the warm air in and the cold air out is by installing draught excludes. You can buy self-adhesive draught excluding strips from most DIY retailers, or our handyperson team can install some permanent ones for you, made to measure. Internal and external doors should have draught excluders to keep the heat in the room you need it in.
Most of us are aware of the benefits of double and triple glazed windows. These types of windows are manufactured with two or three panes of glass sealed in to a frame before it even reaches your house. A professional fitter will need to install these, and you can expect to get on average about 20 years out of your new windows.
You can also opt to have secondary glazing fitted over your existing windows, which is cost effective and can be a DIY job for someone with the right skills. However, they are a little more effort to clean and maintain compared to double or triple glazing.
The loft. Don’t mind the spiders, just think of the money you’ll save on your heating bill!
Up to another quarter of your home’s heat is lost through the roof, so you’d be wise not to neglect the loft when it comes to energy-saving improvements. Many homes already have insulation up there, which can last a good 40 years after being laid. But over time it may have degraded, been compressed by floorboards, or need extra laid down. New layers can be added on top of existing insulation, so it might not be as expensive a job as you’re expecting.
Floors lose a surprising amount of heat
Up to 15% of the heat in a house is lost through the floor. Modern houses generally have floor insulation in-built, but in older houses they are often uninsulated. If you’ve got a good carpet and decent underlay, this is often enough to stop the heat escaping.
Much like walls, floorboards can be lifted and a suspended floor can be filled with insulation material. A solid floor can have an insulated suspended floor built on top of it, but this is a fair amount of work.
Lagging pipes and tanks – key in insulating your home
Lagging is placing a jacket or sleeve of insulating material over tanks, pipes and cylinders. Cold and hot water pipes should have lagging to stop heat escaping or pipes freezing. This is particularly important in places like the loft or anywhere where there is minimal heating. Our handyperson and technical team can help you with this and identify the crucial pipes and cisterns that need it the most.
Worried about the cost? You don’t need to
Our handyperson service might be able to offer you a subsidised rate for the services we provide. If you’re living in Bristol and on pension credit, or you have a low household income and savings, ask us about how we can help.
There are some grants available to cover the cost of making your home more energy-efficient. Our partners at the Centre for Sustainable Energy are experts on the Green Homes Grant, so why not contact them on 0800 082 2234 to discuss your options. Alternatively, you can email our Information and Advice team who can look into things on your behalf.
Financial support is available for larger home improvements like insulating your home through our partners at Lendology CIC. You can find more information about their low-cost Home Improvement Loan Scheme by clicking here. Our Project Management team can support you through the entire process of updating your insulation, with your own personal Project Manager and our award-winning service.
Why not give us a call or drop us an email. We can have an obligation-free chat about insulating your home and your financial situation. For more about how we’re staying Covid Safe and protecting you during the pandemic click here. Don’t stay in the cold! We’re here to help you stay warm, healthy and independent in your own home.
