Canny tips on insulation & heating

I came across an extremely long, but extremely helpful online article that was published in the Normandy Advertiser on 1st December 2010 entitled “How to control your heating bills”.

Now whilst the article primarily is focused on properties in Northern France, the principles involved in reducing heat loss and saving energy, apply equally to homes in the UK. For example the author states that “a house that is not correctly insulated loses a significant amount of heat through walls, windows, floor, roof and chimneys. Even a well-heated home can feel cold in some places if the walls and windows are not insulated, because they lose heat to the outside and feel cold on the inside. Putting in proper insulation will help keep up the interior temperature, meaning that costly heat is not wasted. As a bonus, it can also improve your acoustic insulation so that neighbourhood noises become less of a problem.”

By taking these rudimentary steps to cut heat loss, we can dramatically increase improve our energy efficiency, cutting our carbon footprint at the same time. The article goes on to explain that “windows are often the weak point when it comes to older buildings and improving their insulation and cutting heating bills.”

To be fair she does look at all the options, stating that “the classic solution is taking out the whole window and replacing it with double-glazing, involving two sheets of glass with air or gas sandwiched between. A cheaper version is secondary glazing, where you fix on a second layer of glass or plastic on to an existing window frame.” “Fitting secondary glazing typically involves attaching an aluminium frame around the existing window, holding glass panes that can be slid or tilted to open them.”

The important thing is to insulate your home, especially with climate change seemingly causing warmer summers and colder, longer winters. I’ve personally decided enough is enough, and even though my entire house has aluminium double glazing fitted by Hazlemere Windows in 1994, I am getting quotes to fit deeper loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, as I need to reduce our heating bills by reducing the amount of energy we are losing both through the walls and loft cavities, even though the loft space does have some insulation, but clearly not enough for the longer colder winters that sadly appear to be on the way!
Tweet