As part of the new Home Information Packs (HIPs), all properties marketed for sale now need a home energy rating in the form of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
Manuel Kupka, one of the country’s new army of domestic energy assessors, says that most of us have some work to do to get our insulation up to standard.
"Where I work, mainly in Bath, the majority are listed buildings, so they are restricted in terms of wall insulation.
"But, in terms of fitting loft insulation, which is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do, so far I haven’t visited any homes with the recommended 270mm depth of insulation.
"Most people have around 200mm. It’s rare for someone to have no insulation at all, but people who do will get a very low rating on their EPC."
1. Look In Your Loft
According to the Energy Saving Trust, if everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to the recommended 270mm, a staggering £520m would be saved each year.
That's enough money to pay the annual fuel bills of over 400,000 families.
On a household level, if you have no loft insulation you could be losing as much as 15 per cent of your heating costs through your roof. This wastes an average of £150 a year and needlessly emits nearly a tonne of CO2.
The great thing about loft insulating is that, for most homes, it can be a DIY job that can cost a few hundred pounds, meaning a payback period of as little as two years.
2. Check Your Walls
Next, turn your attention to your walls. In most houses built between 1920 and 1980 the external walls are made in two layers, with a cavity in between. By filling this gap with an insulating material you can, on average, reduce your fuel bills by £115 a year and your CO2 output by 750 kg.
In addition, cavity wall insulation can help prevent condensation build up and keep your home cooler in the summer.
Cavity wall insulation is, however, not a cheap DIY job. You will need to call in the professionals who will charge from around £250 for an average home.
To find out if your house is suitable, have a look at the pattern of the brickwork. In a cavity wall all of the bricks are ‘stretchers’ (placed long-ways), while walls without a cavity have a mixture of stretcher and 'header bricks' (bricks placed end-ways on).
If you don’t have cavity walls there are options available for insulating either the façade, or internally.
It can be very effective, but interior cladding will slightly reduce your internal space, and exterior cladding is very expensive and risks damaging the look of a period home.
3. Floors: Mind The Gaps
Draughty floors are a nuisance and cost us an average of £50 a year. But the good news is that fixing gappy floors and skirting boards is a relatively simple and cheap DIY job, costing under £100.
Firstly, you can insulate under timber floors by lifting the floorboards and laying insulating material, supported by netting, between the joists.
And secondly, and more simply, using a cheap tube sealant, such as silicon, you can fill any gaps between the floorboards and skirting boards to stop draughts.
Remember, however, not to block the ventilation to your floorboards by sealing under-floor airbricks in external walls.
And don’t forget other cheap and easy heat-saving devices, such as excluders on the bottoms of doors and across letterboxes, tin foil behind radiators, and a shelf above radiators to circulate the heat into the middle of the room.
4. How Green Is Your Insulation?
Pic: Thermafleece Natural Insulations
While many people’s motivation for insulating is simply to save money, if you are concerned about the environment too you may be surprised to find that not all insulation is equally green.
The main issue is in the ‘embodied energy’ in the insulation you buy - the energy used for procuring raw materials, the manufacture, and the transportation of your insulation.
Although all insulation will save energy, most of it is not great in terms of production and disposal. If you want a greener alternative, much less energy is needed to make, for example, the recycled paper loft insulation Warmcel 100, or Thermafleece, which is made from wool.
In addition, there is the issue of the safety of the manmade materials. While there has been no evidence in this country of fibreglass, mineral wool or foam boards being harmful, bags of fiberglass do carry health warnings abroad.
Whatever the validity of the suspicions about the manmade products, it is a fact that anyone laying conventional loft insulation should wear a mask and protective clothing, or risk irritation to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, while insulation made from natural products can be handled completely safely.
5. Some Natural Alternatives
Pic: Thermafleece Natural Insulations
Of course, natural products still form a tiny part of the market. Rob Street from Natural Insulations says: "It’s still seen as a specialised market.
"Our main business comes from timber framed buildings and barn conversions, old buildings that need to be able to take in and release moisture."
Natural insulation is not usually a cheap option. Thermafleece, made from wool, and Isonat, made from hemp and recycled cotton, are around three times the price of conventional insulation.
But Warmcell, made from recycled paper, is comparable to the price of space blankets sold in DIY stores, and is ten per cent more thermo efficient.
6. Can I Have A Grant?
If you haven’t had a grant since you were a student, read on. The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide some sort of funding, though many of the offers only apply if you have the insulation fitted by professionals.
A good place to start looking is the Government's Energy Saving Trust (EST) grant searcher. If you are on a low income you should find that you are eligible for completely free loft and cavity wall insulation.
Although most of the funding is for approved contractors to supply and fit your insulation, some local authorities will also give grants for DIY loft insulation.
As yet finding a grant that will help with the cost of natural insulation products can be challenging, but Affordable Energy have suppliers who will work with natural products.
7. How Much Can I Save?
Here's a breakdown of costs and savings from the Energy Saving Trust.
Nikki Sheehan
Useful Links
The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency: Provides independent for cavity wall insulation fitted by registered installers in the UK and Channel islands.
The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency was established in consultation with the Government's Energy, Environment and Waste Directorate (a division of DETR) to provide householders with an independent, uniform and dependable guarantee covering defects in materials and workmanship.
The National Insulation Association : Represents the manufacturers and installers of Cavity Wall and Loft Insulation and Draught Proofing and other innovative solutions. Both the NIA and its members are fully committed to maintaining and raising standards within the insulation industry.
To this end, the NIA operates a strict Code of Professional Practice which all of its members must adhere to.
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