Did you know the average household spends over half their energy bill on heating and hot water? This is because a significant amount of heat can escape through windows, walls, roofs, and more.
If you’re talking averages, that’s 33% of heat lost through uninsulated walls alone.1 Heat loss in homes could be one of the main reasons your heating bills continue to rise.
However, there’s good news! Learning how to keep your home warm in winter is actually simpler than you might think. The answer? Home insulation. Insulating homes has the potential to be a highly effective, long lasting upgrade. Not only can it seal in warmth in the winter, but it can also keep your home cooler in the summer, helping to bring down your energy bills all year round. Ready to explore your options?
How does home insulation actually work?
In a nutshell, insulation works by trapping air. The air pockets in the insulation are poor at conducting heat, which slows down warmth escaping from your home and into the outdoors. However, insulation can also block heat from seeping in from outside, which is ideal on a hot summer’s day.
What are the benefits of insulating your home?
Choosing to better insulate your home isn't just a quick fix – it has the potential to be a brilliant long term investment. Let’s take a look at how you could benefit from upgrading your home insulation.
Financial savings: Insulating your home could lower your bills.
The biggest draw for most people is the money you could save. Once installed, insulation works constantly, throughout the year, to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, reducing how much energy you need to buy.
When it comes to how much money insulation could save on your energy bills, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that insulating an uninsulated loft with 270mm of insulation could save you between £210 to £390 per year.2 Meanwhile, improving your cavity wall insulation could help you save up to £240 a year.3 Remember, savings will vary depending on your home.
Boosted comfort: Better insulation means less heat loss in homes.
A well insulated home means a consistently comfy one. You can also wave goodbye to those irritating draughty spots and the ongoing urge to turn up the thermostat just a little bit more. By creating a thermal barrier, insulation keeps the heat you pay for inside where it should be. This provides a more stable, warmer living space (sounds cosy).
Environmental impact: Doing your bit for a greener future.
Insulation is one of the most effective ways to make your home more energy efficient. By using less energy to heat your home, you could reduce your carbon footprint.4 By reducing your home’s energy demand, you’ll be using less electricity and/or gas to keep warm.
What are the main types of home insulation?
There are a few different ways you could insulate your home to tackle heat loss. The most common and cost effective measures include loft, room in roof, and cavity wall insulation.
Loft insulation: Sealing off your roof.
Firstly, there’s loft insulation, which helps stop heat escaping through your roof. Imagine it as a woolly hat for your home – it keeps the warmth in and the cold out.
Did you know that most of the heat we lose in our households escapes upwards? Without proper insulation, your boiler or air source heat pump is having to put in the extra work, which is reflected in your energy bill.
Loft insulation usually involves laying rolls of mineral wool or other suitable materials between and over the joists in your loft.
Learn more about loft insulation and its benefits.
Room in roof insulation: Tackling converted spaces.
Then, there’s room in roof insulation. This refers to the process of adding insulating materials to your loft conversion to make it more energy efficient. These measures can include gable end walls, dormer windows, and sloping ceilings.
Effective roof insulation is super important for preventing heat loss from escaping through these surfaces, especially when winter is in full swing.
Learn more about room in roof insulation and its benefits.
Cavity wall insulation: Closing the gap in your walls.
The chances are, if your home was built during the last 80 years, your external walls will have two ‘skins’ (an inside and outside wall) with a gap in between them. We call this gap a ‘cavity wall’.
So, cavity wall insulation is simply filling that little gap with insulating fabrics such as shredded mineral wool, polystyrene beads, or special foam to stop heat loss in homes.
Find out more about cavity wall insulation and its benefits.
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