Home insulation can help keep bills down - more important than ever with rocketing energy prices. But for many, getting professional work simply isn't an option.
Houses which get cold immediately after the heating is turned off indicate warmth is escaping too quickly, says Stephen Hankinson, managing director at Electric Radiators Direct.
But if professional insulation work is out of the question, there are still other ways you can improve efficiency in your home, he said. Examples include:
- Thermal insulated curtains - thicker, heavier curtains trap cold air between them and the window, keeping room temperatures cosy
- Draught excluders - you can buy draught excluder tape for windows, cushions to place under doors and even inflatable ones for chimneys
- Foil behind radiators - traditional central heating radiators work at only about 50-70% efficiency. Placing silver foil behind them will reflect heat back into a room rather than letting it escape through the walls.
- Electric heating - up to 50% of the heat produced by a gas boiler can be lost through the pipes, which means you may end up losing even more heat on top of what you lose to poor insulation. However, electric heating is 100% efficient at point of use, meaning every watt of power taken from the wall is converted into useable heat so nothing is wasted
- Infrared heating - this could be a good solution if your home is not perfectly insulated, as infrared heaters completely bypass the air, reducing the chance of warmth being lost to draughts. Instead, their heat travels in a direct wave, warming people and surfaces directly. Heaters cost between £200 and £500 per unit and are generally up to £675 to run collectively.
For those wishing to get professional work done, Stephen said determining when your home was built is the first step to figuring out what kind of insulation solution you might need. New builds generally come with good insulation levels as standard and are therefore able to retain heat better but older properties may be in need of an upgrade.
"For this kind of property, you could opt for internal solid wall insulation, which is the cheaper option, or external solid wall insulation, which has a higher upfront cost but is generally more efficient," said Stephen. "Typically, internal insulation will cost around £8,500, while external insulation can be around £12,000.
Those built around the 1970s may have cavity wall insulation already, but they tend to not have loft or roof insulation. If you notice your top floor is extremely draughty, then you might benefit from loft insulation, said Stephen.
Or if the colder rooms in your home are outward facing, then you may want to look into wall insulation. "Always be on the lookout for any sign of damp on the walls as well," he said.
