Insulate Your Walls & Windows

Cavity Wall Insulation

Having the cavity walls filled with insulation material should, so they say, pay for itself within four years and save around 800kg of carbon emissions each year. Around a quarter of the heat lost from your house is through the walls!

So this along with Loft insulation will reduce your heat loss dramatically. Around 60% of heat lost is through the loft and walls combined. Not to be sneezed at and once again you can recover some of the costs through Grants in certain areas and circumstances.

The process is very simple and is carried out by Contractors. On a normal size house, the process will take just a few hours. Because the fibres (usually mineral wool or polystyrene beads) are pumped through holes in the wall, there is no mess involved.

If you decide to go ahead, make sure the Contractor is covered and you will be covered for the 25 year cavity insulation guarantee (CIGA). To ensure the Contractor is bone fide contact your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre or the National Insulation Association.

Insulate Your Windows - Double Glazing & More

10% of your heat is lost through the windows so if you are replacing them it makes sense to look at double or even triple glazing. In Scandinavia many houses actually have double, double glazing. If you are not replacing your windows it does not make so much sense to do it just to save the heat as the payback time will be quite long

Do check the energy efficiency ratings and ask for documented proof if buying. Double glazing salespeople do not, unfortunately, have the best reputation for honesty.

Heavy curtains with a thermal lining make a lot of sense. Windows can actually gain heat from the sun in the day, but this is lost at night. Pulling heavy curtains at dusk will ensure that heat is not lost.

Another method is to build internal insulated shutters, closing these at night will increase the insulation value to that of a cavity insulated wall. A more simple method, although less effective, is to just fit a pull-down blind. This creates an air gap but doesn't allow convection currents which speed heat out of your house. Combine with heavy curtains and you have a pretty effective solution.

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