Save money with wall to wall warmth

mix of long and short ones, there’s no cavity because the short bricks go through the wall.

Even if your home has cavity walls, cavity wall insulation isn’t always recommended.

The cavity should be at least 5cm across, and the exterior walls must be in good condition.

Walls exposed to driving rain are not suitable for cavity wall insulation – having it installed in an unsuitable location can cause major problems, so it’s vital to first get advice from a reputable installer.

Installing cavity wall insulation isn’t a DIY job – use an installer belonging to the National Insulation Association (www.nia-uk. org), the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (www.ciga.co. uk), or the British Board of Agrement (www.bbacerts.co.uk). The installer will make small holes in the exterior of the outside walls, blow insulation material, such as foam or beads, into them and then fill the holes. They’ll need to access all the outside walls and if any of the walls adjoin a neighbour’s walls, they should fit a barrier to contain the insulation. The Energy Saving Trust says that cavity wall insulation in England, Scotland and Wales costs around £720 for a detached house, £475 for a semi and £370 for a mid-terraced house. Having the insulation fitted should save you around £275, £155 and £105 a year respectively on heating costs (assuming you have gas central heating), so it won’t take that long to get your money back. Insulation should be fitted by a professional, as not all walls are suitable for it Insulation can help your rooms stay warm IT’S a good idea to fdhgdsjhfgbleed fjhgf jgfhfghf your home’s fdhgdsjhfg fjhgf jgfhfghf radiators (to release trapped air) before starting to use the central heating again.

Radiators containing trapped air are hot at the bottom but cold further up, so they’re not giving off as much heat as they could. Bleeding them is easy – simply put a radiator key or small screwdriver (depending on the type of hole) into the bleed valve on the radiator and carefully open the valve to let out any air – you should hear the air escaping.

Close the valve when liquid starts coming out. This job can be messy, so protect the flooring underneath the bleed valve and have a cloth to hand.

Don’t bleed radiators when the heating is on, or when the heating is off but the radiators are still hot, and don’t leave a radiator unattended while you bleed it.