A quarter of your home's heat can be lost through a poorly insulated loft. Your walls can be even worse, losing a third if they aren't up to scratch. That's a lot of wasted energy, unnecessary CO2 emissions, and lots of money too. Insulating your home properly will cut your heating bills allowing you to enjoy a warmer home for less and do your bit for the planet.
Loft insulation
Fewer than one in ten homes have the recommended amount of loft insulation. Is yours one of them? Check with a ruler to make sure it is at least 270mm thick. If it isn't, you could cut your heating bills for years to come by adding more: it's easy and you can do it yourself in a couple of hours.
Cavity wall insulation
Most houses built after 1920 have cavity walls. Insulating these can save you around £115 a year. A skilled installer will need to carry out the work, but offers are available.* For some, it's absolutely free. It's simple, quick and makes no mess in your home as the work is done outside.
Solid wall insulation
Solid walls lose even more heat than cavity walls. You can reduce this by insulating them on the inside (using insulating plasterboard technologies), or on the outside (with decorative weather-proof insulating treatments). A skilled installer has to carry out the work - and it could represent a significant investment - but it could save you up to £400 a year.
Want more advice?
You can call the ACT ON CO2 advice line for a free, impartial chat about insulation and saving energy at home. Their advisers will recommend the most appropriate options, explain technical issues and can put you in touch with a local installer. They'll even tell you about any grants or offers available to help with the cost of insulating your home.
Call 0800 512 012 (0300 512 012 from mobiles) or search online for ACT ON CO2.
*To find a registered installer, visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
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