Insulation

Around half of heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft making them the two biggest causes of heat loss in the home. It's definitely worth getting yours insulated, as it will save you both money and reduce your carbon footprint.

There are a number of ways to insulate your home the most common and those that are undertaken by Green Energy Doctor are as follows:

Cavity wall insulation

Just insulating your cavity walls could save you around £160 a year on your fuel bills and 800 kg of CO 2.  If every house in the UK that could installed cavity wall insulation it would cut CO 2 emissions by around 4.6 million tonnes, enough to fill the new Wembley Stadium 590 times, and save over £860 million a year.

Is It Suitable For My Requirements?

The primary requirement for cavity wall insulation is ensuring that you have a house that has a cavity that can be insulated. Green Energy Doctor will be able to quickly identify whether you have a cavity or not, but as a general rule, if you have a property that is constructed from brick and was built from 1920 onwards, you are likely to have  a cavity.
 

How Much Does It Cost To Install?

The installation cost is around £250 (when subsidised under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target), which means it would pay for itself in about two years.

Loft Insulation

What is Loft Insulation?
Loft insulation acts as a blanket, trapping rising heat from the house below. Without it, you could be losing as much as 15% of your heating costs through your roof. If you currently have no insulation and you install the recommended 270mm depth you could save around £205 a year on your heating bills and around one tonne of CO 2 per year.

It's never been more important to think about insulating your loft. Without proper insulation a lot of the valuable, expensive energy you use to heat your home will be lost through the loft. The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm however there are other materials which require different depths.

In fact, by not insulating your loft you could be wasting as much as 15% of your heating costs.

What Are The Benefits?
Loft insulation is an effective way to save energy and money at home. A well insulated house keeps warmth exactly where you need it - indoors.

So, insulating your loft - or topping up any insulation you have already - will help to heat your home more efficiently. Using less energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions (CO2): one of the biggest causes of climate change. You will also save money on your bills too.

Loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, and it will pay for itself over and over again in that time. The better insulated your home, the less energy you need to keep it warm - the more money you'll save in the long run.

By saving energy, your household will produce less CO2. So, adding or topping up your loft insulation is a great way to do your bit - and reduce your impact on the environment. Plus, to save money on a professional installation, you can even do it yourself.

Draught proofing

If you can feel cold air coming in around the windows in your home it means warm air is escaping. In a typical home this heat loss accounts for 20% of the total heat lost. Draught proofing is an easy DIY task that simply fills gaps and decreases the amount of cold air entering your home. By installing draught proofing you could save around £30 a year on your heating bills and reduce your emissions by around 150kg of carbon dioxide (CO 2) each year.

Solid wall insulation

What is solid wall insulation?
If your home was built before the 1920s, it probably has solid walls. Solid walls lose even more heat than cavity walls, but you can also insulate them either internally or externally. Solid wall insulation will save you around £500 a year and two tonnes of CO 2.