It took it’s time but the temperature finally dropped and it did so with a vengeance. There’s been a lot in the news about the rise in energy costs and lot of people want to know how to save energy and money especially as we approach this expensive time of year – Christmas.
With the need to invest in home insulation more present than ever, we have compile this beginners guide to one of the most important areas of home energy saving: wall insulation.
Do I have Cavity Walls?
The first thing to find out is whether or not you have cavity walls which is when two rows of bricks have a gap between them. The easiest way to discover this is to look at the pattern of bricks as demonstrated below:
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| Image source: blog.npower.com/2013/10/cavity-wall-insulation/ |
If you have a cavity wall, the next thing to do is make sure it is insulated as they aren’t always. If your house was built within the last 10 years, you’re probably fine. But beyond that, it’s well worth checking.
To check if your walls have cavity insulation, a registered insulator can perform a borescope inspection whereby they drill a small hole in your wall to see if it’s filled or not.
So, what if I have solid walls?
If you have solid walls, you can insulate them inside the house and / or outside and it’s even more essential that you do so because solid walls let twice as much heat out than empty cavity walls do. But which is for you, inside or outside insulation?
Pros and Cons of inside wall insulation:
· Cheaper than outside wall insulation
· Reduces room size by a couple of inches per wall
· Can be messy and disruptive while work is undertaken
· Requires wall attaching’s like plugs and shelves to be reinstalled – heavy items like shelves can be particularly troublesome
Pros and Cons of outside wall insulation:
· No disruption to the house, inside
· Does not take up floor space
· Redesigns the appearance of your house (if desired)
· Improves weather and sound proofing
· Covers cracks and gaps that allow for draughts
· Protects brick work and helps prevent damp
· May require planning permission
· Requires good access to perform work
Cost and Savings per Year for Wall Insulation
Here are the facts that you need to know in terms of pricing. You have two options. Either you can pay for the insulation yourself or in January 2014 you can have the option to use Green Deal which the government has set-up and makes energy companies pay 50% of the cost of insulation provided that you and your home are eligible.
Cavity Wall Insulation:
· Cavity Wall insulation can cost around £450 to £500
· You can save around £125 per year
· Over a period of 10 years that is a saving of £1,250!
External / Internal Wall Insulation:
· Both options can save you around £400-£500 a year
· Internal wall insulation – can cost around £4,000 to £8,000
· External wall insulation- can cost around£9,400 to £13,000
Please be aware that these are estimates. The cost of installation varies hugely depending on whether who installs it and on the size of the rooms, the walls and the number of surfaces you need to insulate.
In summary, internal insulation would be cheaper but has a greater impact on the rooms and space. External is considerably more expensive but does not impact the rooms. So it really is just a case of knowing your options and deciding whether the additional investment in outside insulation is worth it for you.
Whatever you choose, invest in insulation. It saves your money, keeps you warmer and is better on the environment. And did you know, when you sell your house, you’re selling the insulation too? You get your money back there too.
Have a warm and wonderful winter.
No one likes to hear someone snoring in the room above them, and that’s where home insulation comes in handy. Home insulation helps to absorb the sounds that bounce off of your walls and floors, making your home a quieter place to live and relax.
Insulating the ceiling of a house has the potential to save on heating and cooling bills. Heating and air conditioning units don’t have to run as hard or as long to achieve the desired temperature in the building. There a lots of benefits.
And if your home is uninsulated or under-insulated, you’ll spend extra money trying to maintain comfortable temperatures
Thermal insulation of walls is really needed to reduce the heat. Fiberglass, cellulose and mineral wool are types of insulators recommended for home walls.
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Thank you so much! So many insights. Really helpful!
Thanks for sharing this informative article. It’s really helpful. I would love to share this with others.
Thank you for sharing your article.
nsulating a home’s ceiling has the ability to reduce heating and cooling costs. Thank you for your contribution.