A guide to insulating your home
Filed under: Money, November 2009
As the long winter evenings draw in no doubt the chillier weather will soon have us turning to the boiler for comfort. But with the credit crunch continuing to bite, it might pay to consider your options when it comes to saving energy. So we've come up with a few pointers on where and how to save money by insulating your home.
Top insulation searches:
Similarly, loft insulation will keep the cold out and the warmth in. Even if your loft is already insulated, it might just pay to top up what's already there. Loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, so the yearly savings will soon pay for the installation.
Check your pipe and water tank insulation. Fitting a new 75mm hot water cylinder jacket will save you more than double what it costs, while insulating hot water pipes will cost around £10... a seriously cost effective way to cut heat loss by a whopping 75%.
On the costlier side, double glazing will create an insulating barrier where it is much needed. When shopping around, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo to ensure the best energy efficiency. For those on a budget, secondary glazing can prove a less expensive option. You'll enjoy not only reduced heat loss, but also a quieter evening in.
The best news if you're looking to insulate your home is that government grants are available so make sure you check what you're entitled to... you could ultimately save yourself a bundle.
Top insulation searches:
- Grants for insulation
- Home insulation
- Hot water boiler
- Cavity wall insulation
- Buy loft insulation
- Roof insulation grants
- Window insulation
- Cavity wall materials
- Loft insulation installers
- Hot water heating system
Similarly, loft insulation will keep the cold out and the warmth in. Even if your loft is already insulated, it might just pay to top up what's already there. Loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, so the yearly savings will soon pay for the installation.
Check your pipe and water tank insulation. Fitting a new 75mm hot water cylinder jacket will save you more than double what it costs, while insulating hot water pipes will cost around £10... a seriously cost effective way to cut heat loss by a whopping 75%.
On the costlier side, double glazing will create an insulating barrier where it is much needed. When shopping around, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo to ensure the best energy efficiency. For those on a budget, secondary glazing can prove a less expensive option. You'll enjoy not only reduced heat loss, but also a quieter evening in.
The best news if you're looking to insulate your home is that government grants are available so make sure you check what you're entitled to... you could ultimately save yourself a bundle.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nancy said 9:56PM on 11-13-2009
Insulation costs money as does central heating, therefore if you are one of the thousands who receives just a little too much pension and are therefore not eligible for benefits which is the key to Pandora's Box of goodies but also don't receive enough to pay for them, you're caught in the fuel poverty trap.
On the other hand if you live in Scotland, you only have to be a pensioner and resident for 12months to receive it all, free gratis.
Perhaps the aim is to kill the rest of us off first!
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B Fletcher said 3:24AM on 11-16-2009
You are right we get nothing in England We just pay for the rest of the country and people who won't work
rob said 7:24AM on 11-14-2009
yes Nancy, this is one of the richest countries in the world, yet it denies its pensioners dignity. Pensioners here have the 5th lowest buying power in the whole of Europe incl those in eastern block because the state pension is so low. I recently spoke to a man from philippeans which is third world country and he worked for govt for 34 years and gets a pension of around £530 a month. I have worked 44 years in UK and get a pension of around £400 a month.Uk pensioners are being mugged by the British establishment and its time we all got organised to fight with one voice No wonder many in Scotland want independance.
karleen said 5:49PM on 11-17-2009
You should move up here to scotland and by next winter you will be sorted. It's a great place.
frank said 4:56AM on 11-14-2009
Its all very well the Scottish Government offering grants to cover the costs of cavity wall insulation. But what happens if, as in the case of my own property, cavity wall insualtion cannot be applied because my house is single brick?
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a edmunds said 5:28AM on 1-18-2010
look on the net for sempatap it gos on your internal wall and you can paint or paper it +some grants around uk
Chris Pearson said 7:04AM on 11-14-2009
Your advice is all very well but is lacking any guide as to applying insulation on the outside of buildings. see www.externalwallinsulation.com for details on External Wall Insulation
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Arizonalinda said 4:04PM on 11-14-2009
I live in a flat that has poor insulation (if any) and poor double glazing. The trouble is I cant get a grant or do anything about it because it's a housing association property.
Linda from Walsall
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a edmunds said 5:28AM on 1-18-2010
warm front have done grants in your area google sempatap
steve m said 5:08PM on 11-14-2009
Hi im real big on this insulation stuff,been learning as much as i can,i found a company called thermilate which sells a few different insulation things,so far ive used the paint additive which i recon works really well,ive also looked into triple glazing windows which is recommended for no heat loss and sound prooving,,but all these things which help save money cost loads of money and i sadly dont earn enough to get them,i dont qualify for any grants so im stuffed,,,thanks all
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Fran said 1:02PM on 12-26-2009
We live in a very old house and we were told we would qualify for fully funded grant for an Air Source Heat Pump central heating system. Following the survery we were told that it could be done and then gave us backword saying the house has a large heat loss (due to solid walls) so it would need two of the ASHP and it was beyond the budget of the grant their (energy commision)suggestion was for us to get equity release (they must also be finantial advisers?) on our much loved property to fund it ourselves. The whole idea for them fitting the ASHP came from their suggestions to property owners in rural communities with no gas. When I asked about a grant for the lack of wall insulation from the outside I was met with a blank despite the fact that the local council has done free internal and external insulation, upvc windows doors and general tarting up of whole streets of properties in our local town completely free for ALL including landlords and private households and they didn't even have to apply. Any suggestions please?
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ray warburton said 4:36PM on 12-26-2009
having spent thousands of pounds over the last 4 years, changing the central heating boiler and systems, insulating wall, loft etc etc, we now have issues with major condensation, within the reooms and the loft os wet due to ice forming on the inside, melting, them wetting the rafters and possestions stord within it. what a wase of time, we will now need to spend more sorting out these damaging issues on the house.
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UK jokers said 6:27PM on 12-29-2009
20 to 25,000 pensioners die of cold EVERY YEAR in the uk, whilst we give away 8 Billion that’s £8,000,000,000 pounds in foreign aid for countries such as India - with their space programme, several aircraft carriers and massive navy - that’s before the 15 billion the EU gets.
Foreign aid = £400,000 per frozen dead pensioner - enough to pay for their heating bills, insulation a Ferrari or any other thing they need or could ever want.
This government should be held to account for this, the illegal wars and everything else, with the end of a rope for reward.
When not one British person is in need we should send money abroad until then, nothing - let them enjoy the rewards of their own labours
We must be literally mad.
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Jim said 8:45PM on 1-17-2010
Glad its not just me that thinks that way
Stuart said 10:03AM on 1-18-2010
Recently in Germany i was discussing with one of our contacts about his imminent retirement plans, my 1st question was to enquire about how much pension he would receive for retiring at 63, the answer was incredible, he gleefully announced (because thats what they do well in Germany) that he would get 2000 euro a month but would have to pay 300 euro back in tax, but the biggest shock was that his wife would get the same figure, when i told him of our paltry sum, he happly cuttingly pointed out that this was because our successive govenments had invested our contributions BADLY, and we deserved what we get because we have allowed them to take our trousers down, Germany's the place to get to for retirement, if you can make it happen.
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derek bryant said 7:16AM on 1-18-2010
When EDF were about to put the gas prices up in France the french president told them not to put their prices up more than 3%,what did our useless government do ,a big nothing.
They were to busy trying to build their property empires up kind permission of the taxpayer.
What a disgusting selfish bunch of MPs we have,this is Gordon Browns fair society.
DEREK
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