Insulating your house may seem costly but it’s a wise investment

With household bills rising all the time, it’s more important than ever to ensure that heat is not lost around the home.

The major benefit of insulation is it holds the heat inside the home, reducing your need to use central heating systems or other heaters. So to make a great reduction in your heating bills, invest in some good insulation.

Get lofty
Loft insulation is probably the most important energy-saving change you can make. Your home can lose around 40% of its heat through the loft space and walls, so it is worth investing in good loft insulation. The Energy Savings Trust suggests that adding 250mm of loft insulation, which will cost you about £170 in materials, could save £80-£100 annually on your energy bills. This means that you can recover the cost of the work in only two years. Fitting loft insulation yourself is not technically difficult, but the working conditions often make the job a challenging one. There are reputable companies that will do it for you.

Fill that cavity
In most homes built after 1920 the walls are made up of two layers with a small air ‘cavity’ in between. If you have an unfilled cavity then you could be losing a considerable amount of the heat from your house.By installing insulation in the cavity, the average house could reduce heating costs by 15%. The cost is on average £500 but it is a long-term investment as it could save £90 a year from the heating bill of the average house and therefore pay itself off in a little over five years.

There are three types of material that are generally used for filling cavity walls and they are mineral wool, urea formaldehyde foam and polystyrene beads. Once they are installed they can remain in place for the life of the building as they are resistant to water penetration and allow moisture to escape through the wall. If you are looking for a more eco-friendly insulation you could use sheep’s wool, hemp, flax, cork board, cellulose (from recycled newspaper) or straw. These types of material can be susceptible to fungus and pests though and often need to be replaced.

Don’t be draught
Draught excluders can help prevent heat escaping underneath exterior doors, windows and other gaps and they are simple and low-tech to install. They can also cut household heat loss by up to 25% in winter which will save you money. If you can see light around a door or window, or hear whistling, it means air is getting in or out. To find less obvious leaks, hold a wet hand in front of doors, windows and other openings – you will be able to feel the draught on your wet hand. Window panes cause up to 20% of heat loss in winter, so make sure you cover your windows with thick curtains.

Make mine a double
Double glazed windows have many benefits, from cutting out street and traffic noise, to keeping heat from escaping your home. Although installing double glazed windows may appear expensive at first, you should save around £100 a year on your heating bills as a result. Double glazing works by trapping air between two panes of glass and creating an insulating barrier. The most common benefit of installing this type of glazing is that it reduces heat loss, but better security, fewer maintenance needs and a decrease in noise levels and condensation are also huge advantages.

There are many different options involved with double glazing your home and costs can vary hugely depending on the type of windows and doors you choose and any deals you may be offered. Average costs are in the region of £4,000, but this investment will cut your heating costs and add value to your home. If you decide to go ahead with having double glazing fitted, make sure your windows are fitted by a FENSA (fenestration self-assessment) registered company. It is also worth looking into low-emissivity (Low-E) glass, which has a virtually invisible, ultra-thin coating on one side. When it is used to form the inner pane of the double glazing unit, it reflects heat back into the building and also allows the sun’s energy to pass into the room. This makes Low-E glass as energy-efficient as triple glazing, but without the 50% weight increase and the extra thickness that is involved.

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