Home insulation

Heat Proof Your Home

Don't pay to heat the sky! Without proper insulation, more than half your home's heat can escape through your roof and walls, so it's important to find out if your home is properly insulated. Home insulation will not only keep your house warmer in the winter but will also keep your house cooler in the summer.

Cavity wall and loft insulation are amongst the most effective ways to reduce heat loss from your home, thus helping you reduce your energy bills.

Measure	Annual saving per year (£)	CO2 saving per year
Cavity wall insulation	£135	550kg
Loft Insulation	£175	720kg

Source: Energy Saving Trust, 2012. Estimated figures based on insulating a gas heated, semi-detached home with three bedrooms.

Cavity Wall Insulation

Cavity wall insulation acts in the same way as your big coat you wear on a cold day. Filling the gap between the two external walls helps prevent warmth from escaping from your home in the same way your coat prevents heat escaping from your body.

Some quick facts:

• It is generally suitable for properties built after the 1930s, where the external walls are made up of two layers with a small 'cavity' between them.
• The insulation is installed by drilling small holes in the mortar between the bricks and then pumping in the insulation material. This will take a couple of hours. The holes are then filled back in.

Loft Insulation

Loft insulation acts in the same way as a woolly hat. A woolly hat stops heat from your body escaping through the top of your head. Likewise, the heat in your home will rise but loft insulation will help prevent it all escaping through your roof.

Some quick facts:

• Loft insulation usually takes a couple of hours to install. It is simply rolled out and laid flat across the loft floor, between and over the joists if they are visible.

Phone calls: Calling us on a 0800 number is normally free when you call from a landline but charges may vary if you use a mobile. Calling us on a 0330 number will cost you no more than 01 or 02 numbers from landlines or mobiles. If you get ‘inclusive minutes' with your package, calls on a 0330 number will be part of these.

Please take care when measuring your current level of insulation.