Saving Energy at Home

How To Insulate Your Home

In a typical British home, around one third of the heat produced by a central heating system is rapidly lost through the roof, windows and doors, ceilings and walls.

Lofts should be insulated to a minimum depth of 150mm (preferably 200mm) with mineral wool such as (Rockwool or Rocksil).  Fibreglass and recycled paper products also work well.  Remember – do not insulate under water tanks that may freeze and ensure that all pipework and the loft hatch is insulated.

Draughts through windows and doors are signs of a badly insulated house and can be fixed easily with draught proofing, double glazing or secondary glazing.

Uninsulated floors can lose as much as 10% of heat.  You can insulate your solid floors either below the concrete slab with polystyrene, cellular glass or high density mineral wool.  Above the floor is normally insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene.  Timber based flooring, such as chipboard would be placed over this.  Either way this work should be carried out by a specialist contractor.

Up to half of the total heat lost is through the walls of an uninsulated house.  Wall insulation can reduce this loss by two thirds.  There are three main types of external wall:  cavity masonry walls; solid masonry walls and timber-framed walls.

Most timber-framed walls are already well insulated and should need little or no extra insulation.  Cavity masonry and solid masonry walls should be insulated whenever possible.  Cavity walls are easier and cheaper to insulate than solid walls.

If a conservatory is being added to a house, the existing walls, windows and door separating the conservatory from the house should be retained.  The separating walls should be insulated, if possible, as if they were external walls.  If the openings (windows and doors) in the separating walls are enlarged, they must be double glazed and draught proofed.