Top Five Home Insulation Techniques

Last Updated on January 4, 2012

Winter is well and truly here and what we all want most is a lovely warm home where we can be protected from the elements. In fact, a cold and draughty home just makes winter seem even harder. However there are lots of ways that you can keep your home warmer in winter using insulating techniques. Here are the top five home insulation techniques:

Windows

Did you know that the average home can lose more than twenty percent of its heat through badly insulated windows? That’s why double or even triple glazing is so important in terms of keeping your home warm. Although it can be costly, when you consider all the money you will be saving in terms of fuel bills it does seem worthwhile. Not to mention the fact that your home will be much more pleasant to live in. Check out this post from Apartment Therapy for window insulation tips.

Doors

A draughty door is not only incredibly irritating, it’s also a sure fire way to lose tons of heat from your home. Although it’s easy to see gaps between doors and door frames, if there are no gaps then it can be difficult to determine if there is a draught. One way to check is to hold some light material like a feather or piece of toilet roll up to the seams in your door. If there is a draught you will see the feather or loo roll moving.

Gaps at the bottom of doors can be remedied with a draught excluder whilst gaps between the door frame and wall can be filled in with caulk. Your front door needs to be very well insulated to protect your home from the elements and uPVC doors are incredibly effective in terms of insulation.

Loft

Loft lagging has been used as a form of insulation in homes for many years, but older homes may not have sufficient lagging as in the past less insulation was used than would be used in a modern build. Loft insulation should be at least six inches thick so if yours is less than this then it will need to be replaced.

Water Tank

An uninsulated water tank can cost you a lot of money because it will take more energy to heat your water and to keep it hot. You can buy specially designed jackets that can be placed over water tanks to help keep the water hot. In general hot water pipes don’t need insulating unless they run outside or run along a cold outside wall. However, if your water travels a long way between your tank and bathroom or kitchen then it can be worthwhile to insulate your pipes too.

Wall Cavities

Most homes are built with wall cavities that are filled with insulation during the building process. However, older homes may not have sufficient insulation or the insulation that was there may have deteriorated. It is possible to improve wall cavity insulation by drilling holes in the walls and filling them by blowing in materials like beads, plastic foam or mineral wool. However, this can be an expensive and laborious task so a cheaper alternative is to cover walls with cork or vinyl. Alternatively you can cover your walls in a thin layer of polystyrene before you decorate.

Good insulation will make your fuel bills cheaper and make your home warmer, so follow these simple tips to make sure that your home is warmer this winter.