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Insulation - Save Money and Conserve Energy
 Save cash by making your home energy efficient
 
We want to show you how easy it is to save money by making your home more energy efficient. With the recent energy price hikes, we’re all out to cut our energy spending as much as we possibly can. If you’re sick of hearing the phrase 'going green', or in the current financial climate you’ve lost all interest in saving the planet - we understand - but don’t let that put you off insulating your home. Insulating your home is a simple way to conserve energy and really will save you money on your heating bills - money that could be spent on something sensible, like chocolate. All of the insulation solutions in this article will save you a lot of money in the long run. Also, there are plenty of grants and discounts available to help you with the initial set-up costs - and the good news is that you don't have to be on benefits to qualify. N.B. All the savings per year refered to in this article are estimations made by the Energy Saving Trust.
Wall InsulationCavity Wall Insulation Saving = up to £160 a yearIf your house was built after the 1920s, you probably have cavity walls. This means you'll have a small air gap between the two layers of your property's external walls. You could save hundreds of pounds a year by getting it filled. Professionals can be hired to pipe in the insulation through the outer wall. This only takes two or three hours and won’t cause any damage to your property at all. That should stop all that hot air escaping and make your home feel a lot cosier. Getting a grant will greatly reduce the cost, otherwise it might cost as much as £500. You can find out more about cavity wall insulation and how to get your hands on a grant - which could reduce the cost to just £149 - by visiting the Cavity Wall Insulation Organisation. It explains that 35% of the heat lost in your home escapes through the walls, so cavity insulation could save you as much as £160 a year.
Solid Wall Insulation Saving = up to £500 a yearIf you have a Victorian, or older, property you are likely to have solid walls which unfortunately lose even more heat than cavity walls. Although the initial costs are steep, resolving the problem will save you lots of money in the long run. There are two types of solid wall insulation: 1. Internal wall insulation is effectively a way to 'double glaze' your walls. Fibrous lining is mounted onto a wooden frame and then attached to the wall but leaving a gap so that warm air is trapped. It can cost between £35 and £40 per square metre and could save you as much as £470 a year on your fuel bills. This is the cheaper option, but it will of course affect the internal decoration of your home, and will make rooms slightly smaller. 2. External wall insulation involves adding an insulating layer over the outside of your walls and then a decorative cladding over the top. Installing this is likely to cost you around £5,500, but could save you about £500 a year. Although it is more expensive than internal wall insulation, it is generally a more practical and suitable solution.
Double GlazingSaving = up to £140 a yearThe Energy Saving Trust explains that having double glazing fitted can reduce heat loss from your windows by up to half, and more importantly could save you as much as £140 a year. It can however be a bit pricey to install, so if you can’t afford to have all your windows replaced, you could fit double glazing only in the rooms which cost you the most to heat. Alternatively you could fit secondary glazing - much cheaper and easier to install than replacement double glazing - and it will still save you money. Remember that double glazing will also reduce noise in your home and help with condensation problems, so it really is a worthwhile investment.
Do-it-Yourself InsulationLoft Insulation Saving = up to £205 a yearIf your loft is all bare joists and the odd forgotten Christmas decoration, you need to give it some TLC with a little DIY! Loft insulation is easy to lay yourself, and - with a quarter of heat being lost through an uninsulated roof - it will save you some serious money too. Usually made from fibreglass, loft insulation is rolled out over your entire attic floor to prevent heat escaping, and in the summer it will help to keep the house cool. In the UK, it’s recommended that you use at least 270mm (8in) of insulation to cover your loft. The easiest way to do this is to put insulation between your ceiling joists and then another layer over the top. SAFETY Always remember that you should wear a mask, gloves and a long sleeved jumper when you are laying the insulation rolls, as fibreglass is pretty horrible stuff! The rolls are already marked so you can cut them to the perfect size and fit them between the joists. Wickes has rolls which cover roughly 8m² for £27.38, and they are currently included in a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Once you've filled between the joists, you can put a second layer over the whole area. For this, you can use the best-selling Easy-Lay Loft insulation from Wickes which is pre-wrapped so you won't have to come into contact with the nasty fibreglass. Once again this is £27.38 a roll, and is buy-one-get-one-free. Wickes also offers free delivery on orders over £45. While you’re up there, you could consider insulating your pipes at the same time. All you'll need to do is get some pipe lagging - £2.33 for a pack of 5 from Wickes - which is flexible and easy to install. So, all this should cost you approximately £250 but could save you as much as £205 a year.
Your Hot Water Tank Saving = up to £40 a yearAren't you glad of your cosy winter coat at this time of year? Make sure your hot water tank has something similar and save yourself some cash. By fitting a British standard 'jacket' of at least 75mm thick you will cut heat loss from your tank, and save around £40 a year according to the Energy Saving Trust. Jackets cost about £10 and you can easily fit them yourself - have a look at this one in B&Q. Or, for those on a serious budget this one at Wickes is a mere £5.87!
Draughts Despite being quite literally a pain in the neck, these are actually incredibly easy to fix - have a look at our article - Keep warm by reducing home heating costs - for all the information you need.
GrantsIf all of this is sounding good but a little outside of your budget, don’t worry - financial assistance is available. The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities can all provide grants to help you out. Most government schemes are only available to households on certain benefits, such as income support, or to those over 65. There are however discounts and subsidies around even in if you don’t fall into those categories. To find out how much you’re entitled to, read all about grants and how to get them in our article, Being Green means Making Savings.
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Jamsine & the Moneymagpie team
Moneymagpie Moneypedia
16.12.2008
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