Having an insulated home means you need less energy to heat it. This is great for the planet as most of our energy comes from burning coal and gas. This produces carbon dioxide, which gets released into the atmosphere as the fuels burn. Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases responsible for climate change and making sure our homes are as energy efficient as possible is a good way of reducing our carbon footprints.
Cavity wall insulation acts as a barrier in your walls to reduce the amount of heat lost through your walls. It is injected through small holes drilled into your walls from the outside and fills the cavity. Loft insulation is laid in between the joists in your loft and works in a similar way to reduce the amount of heat escaping through your roof. There are many grants available to help you install these measures, to find out if you are eligible visit the grants page.
Other simple and quick measures to install are
- draught proofing around all doors, windows and letter boxes. Draught proofing can be bought from any good DIY store fairly cheaply.
- Fit insulation to your hot water tank and pipes, it’s a quick and easy and will pay for itself in about a year.
- Reflective radiator panels can be fitted behind your radiators and can reduce the amount of heat lost through walls behind radiators by up to 20%.
If you are replacing your floor then consider floor insulation. The Energy Saving Trust has information on insulation methods for floors, which will help cut down on heat loss.
If you have an older property it’s very likely you’ll have solid walls which don’t have a cavity to fill. It is still possible to insulate solid wall properties by externally rendering them with insulation materials or internally dry lining them or using a product called Sempatap (a foam wall covering 10mm thick and supplied in rolls), for more details please call 0800 512 012.
Why is it important to insulate your property?
You may not realise it but your home can also affect your health and well-being. If your house doesn't have enough insulation or is really expensive to heat it may be affecting you in more ways than through your wallet!
Research has shown that people in cold homes stand a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Cold homes are also more likely to promote damp and mould growth which can be linked to conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.
Did you know... domestic accidents tend to be more common in cold homes because our reactions are slower when we're cold.
With rising energy costs it's now an everyday reality for many people that they have to choose between heating their homes, putting good nutritious food on the table or buying other necessities.
Research has shown people with cold homes are less likely to invite friends over, which can lead to isolation and affect your mental health.
Putting an extra layer or two on is a good idea but spending too much time in cold temperatures can have a bad effect on your health.
Help towards heating and insulation costs
There are a number of grants available to help towards or pay for repair or installation of central heating and home insulation. Take a look at our grants page for more details.
But remember, insulation still needs ventilation!
Even when your home is well insulated it still needs ventilation - especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Warm moist air together with lack of ventilation could lead to condensation and mould growth problems which in turn can have an affect on your health as it has been linked to conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. To help avoid this, make sure:
- Any trickle vents you have in your windows are not blocked.
- Your kitchen and bathroom doors are closed when the rooms are in use to stop warm air from cooking and bathing escaping into colder rooms, which could cause condensation problems.
- When you can, dry your clothes the natural way! Drying your laundry outside in the fresh air rather than using radiators not only saves you energy but also cuts down on moisture from wet clothes evaporating into your rooms which again could lead to condensation and mould growth.
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