Six ways to make sure your house is insulated properly for the winter
Insulation experts tell Lisa Salmon how to check the money you spend on heating your property isn’t seeping out through walls, roofs or floors
TEMPERATURES are starting to drop and we’re all thinking about putting the heating on. But with energy charges at an unprecedented high, it’s vital for cash-strapped families to keep heating costs as low as possible, and the best way to do it is to make sure your home is properly insulated.
Experts at Insulation Express (insulationexpress.co.uk) warn 25% of the heat in an uninsulated property escapes through the roof, 35% through walls and 10% through floors, and insulating a property can save around £500 a year.
“As temperatures drop, a badly insulated home will feel colder much quicker and retain less heat, causing your boiler to work harder and driving up your energy bills,” says Insulation Express property manager Jenny Turner.
“Check existing insulation, or install it in your property to save on energy bills this winter. The investment in insulation in the roof and walls, and draughtproofing your home, will pay for itself in a short time.”
And Jessica Forster, project manager at the Energy Saving Trust (energysavingtrust.org.uk), adds: “Preventing heat loss, particularly as we head into the colder months, will mean you’ll use less energy to heat your home.”
Here, the experts offer tips on how to make sure your home’s properly insulated...
1. Check for draughts
Forster says simple draughtproofing is one of the most costeffective ways to save energy and money in your house. “Take yourself around your home to find where the biggest draughts are, and where you can block unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out,” she advises.
At current price cap levels, sealing gaps around windows, doors, floors and skirting boards, could lead to an annual reduction in bills of £125 a year for a typical semi-detached or mid-terrace home, or £70 a year for a mid-floor flat, she says, adding: “Professional draught-proofing is likely to save more energy, because an installer will know which materials will work best.”
2. Look at your loft insulation
If you can get into your loft easily, Turner says it’s a good idea to check for gaps in any insulation that’s already in place, explaining: “Insulation should reach every corner of the loft, with no gaps or shallow pockets that could let heat escape, vastly reducing your home’s heating efficiency.”
She suggests using a tape measure to assess the depth of the existing insulation, and the spacing between the joists, beginning at the mid-point of one joist and measuring to the midpoint of the next. Turner says the distance will usually be either 400mm or 600mm, indicating the width of any additional insulation you may need.
As for the thickness of the insulation, Turner says ideal thickness depends on the type of insulation material, but for loft insulation, the recommended thickness for glass wool insulation is 300mm on new builds, 250mm for rock wool, and 220mm for cellulose.
3. Feel for damp and draughts
Simply using your hands to feel whether an external wall feels cold or damp can give a good indication of whether it’s well-insulated or not, explains Turner. “Use your hand to feel along a wall to see if it’s damp. Any visible signs of mould and damp can be a clear sign of poor insulation, in addition to a lack of ventilation.”
If your wall does feel cold or damp, you may need to have cavity wall insulation put in. Forster says: “Around a third of heat in an uninsulated home is lost through the walls. Installing cavity wall insulation could result in an annual saving of around £395 for a £1,200 investment.”
4. Look at your property’s Energy Performance Certificate
All buildings in the UK should have an EPC, which outlines the energy efficiency of the building, showing how well your house retains heat on a scale of A to G, explains Turner.
5. Use a thermal imaging camera
Using a thermal imaging camera on a property’s external walls when the heating’s on inside will visually highlight areas where the surface temperature changes from warm to cold, and identify weaknesses in current insulation, says Turner, who points out that this is best done after dark for easier visibility.
6. Don’t forget the floor
Although less heat is lost through floors than through walls and the roof, Forster says insulation is a great way to keep your property warm, although you generally only need to insulate the ground floor.
Turner suggests homeowners seal any gaps between floorboards and skirting boards to reduce the risk of draughts.
But, she adds: “For a cheaper solution, thick rugs act as an extra layer of insulation, providing a barrier against draughts and trapping heat before it escapes, keeping the room cosy and warm.”