How To Insulate Your Home
This guide will show you how to insulate your home, saving you hundreds on your energy bills, as well as making a massive reduction to your carbon foot print
Step 1: Doors
Fit draught excluders around all exterior doors, and interior if needs be. Sealant strips can be bought cheaply from DIY stores and are dead easy to fit, just like applying sticky tape. Don't forget to get a brush trim for letter boxes and the bigger gaps and the bottom of doors.
Step 2: Windows
Cracks and crevices around window frames are also a popular escape point for warm air. To check for weak points run the palm of your hand around the edge of the frame. If you feel a breeze, you've got a hole. Patch these up with a putty or sealer. To make it really easy on yourself get the type that comes in a tube. Squirt it on, smooth it over, job done.
It's worth investing in double glazing if you don't already have it. This could save you between £80 and £100 pounds on your annual heating bill.
Closing curtains or blinds after dark also traps in the warm air and prevents draughts. And it looks cosier too!
Step 3: Floors
Most homes have gaps between the skirting board and the floor, and if your have floorboards there's likely to be a few gaps between them too. This is another jobs for our trusty silicone sealer.
If you have a wood floor and want to go the whole hog, you could get the experts in to fit floor insulation beneath the boards. Putting a rug down isn't a bad idea either.
Step 4: Lofts
Laying loft insulation on the average home can save a whopping 1 tonne of carbon dioxide a year, and make a major dent in you bills. Have a look at our 'How to install loft insulation' to see how it's done.
Step 5: Pipes and hot water
Wrapping your hot water tank in a cosy 80 mm jacket will cut heat loss by 75 %, and you'll recoup the cost of it in less than 6 months.
