4. Make sure your home is insulated
There are three kinds of insulation you can tackle in your home.
- Cavity wall insulation.
- Solid wall insulation.
- Loft insulation.
Cavity wall insulation is a simple and cost-effective way to keep your home warm. If your home was built post-1920s, chances are it will have a cavity wall. Which is great for keeping damp at bay but can leave you a little chilly if it’s not properly insulated. Pack dense, insulating material between the inner and outer walls of your property (the cavity) to keep the heat in and cold out and save energy by needing to heat your home less. The bonus? Cavity wall insulation is cheap and long-lasting.
Solid wall insulation is what you’ll need if your home was built before the 1920s or does not have a cavity. This kind of insulation goes outside the building, as a kind of insulating cladding. This is more expensive than cavity wall insulation but could be worth the savings.
Loft insulation tackles the heat rising and escaping through the roof. In fact, if your loft isn’t properly insulated then you could be losing as much as a quarter of your home’s heat. That’s a lot of money and energy savings to be had.
If you can’t upgrade your insulation, try keeping draughts at bay. If you feel any kind of cold air in your home, you’ll know that’s where heat is escaping from. Simple draught excluders, blocking up old chimneys and professional draught-proofing will all help keep your home cosy and warm.
Potential savings: There are grants available for both wall and loft insulation through your energy provider under the Energy Company Obligations (ECO) scheme.