Four Steps to Insulate Your Home and Cut Energy Bills
It can be easy to feel disheartened by the fact that everything seems to be getting more expensive with each passing year. The cost-of-living crisis has certainly done a number on a lot of people, and despite having more money than they did twenty or so years ago, many feel their quality of life has actually got worse.
The situation is far from hopeless, though. Things will change in time, and there’s plenty you can be doing in the meantime to help yourself out.
One of the best moves you can make is to properly insulate your home. Not only does this make the place warmer, but you’d be surprised by how much money you could save. In this short article, you’ll learn four crucial steps for doing so.
1. Insulating Your Loft
One of the most basic steps you should take if you haven’t already is to insulate your loft.
Any gaps in the roof can make a huge difference to how much energy your home loses, as it’s an inherently draughty area – especially if you own an old property. Take a look in your loft to discover what sort of insulation you already have, and if there’s barely anything there or it’s very old, you can either contact an expert to lay new fibreglass or mineral wool or do the job yourself (it’s relatively easy to DIY – just make sure you wear a mask while you’re up there!).
2. Upgrading Your Windows
Within the main floors of the house, your windows are a primary area for heat loss and energy inefficiency. Replacing old fittings (where wood has degraded or only single-paned glass is installed) with new UPVC windows can make a huge difference, and it’ll make your property more secure to boot.
These sorts of frames are both durable and low-maintenance, and they’ll last for many years to come.
3. Sealing any Gaps or Cracks
Most homes have at least some gaps and cracks, and the older the property, the more likely you are to come across them.
Small areas of plaster can easily be managed DIY by using basic poly filler, but if you have any walls or ceilings exhibiting significant damage, you’ll want to call in a qualified plasterer to do the job for you.
4. Considering Wall Insulation
A lot of heat can escape from areas of the property that you can even see, with inefficiencies within your wall structure accounting for a significant amount of energy loss.
This situation calls for cavity wall insulation – of which Isothane is often a major component – whereby board is placed, or high-pressure foam is pumped into the interior to provide maximum insulation. This type of insulation lasts for many years, and you could even get it for free if your home qualifies, so it’s definitely worth investigating.
The above steps should help considerably in keeping your house nice and warm and driving down your energy bills. There’s plenty more you can do, of course, but with energy loss representing such a major money sink, this is an excellent place to start.
This is a collaborative post.
