Insulation

 

Types of insulation

There are many of different types of insulation, each with varying levels of efficiency and uses in different parts of the home. These include:

• Blanket insulation
• Rock mineral wool insulation
• Sheet loft insulation
• Loose-fill insulation
• Spray foam insulation
• Structural insulated panels
• Sheep’s wool insulation
• Rigid foam insulation

The Renewable Energy Hub provides information on different types of insulation.

 

Roof and loft insulation

Up to 25% of the heat lost in houses escapes through the roof. The best way to prevent this is to ensure your loft space is insulated to keep heat in your home.

It is recommended that loft spaces are insulated to a thickness of 270mm to prevent heat from escaping through the roof.

Different types of loft insulation include:

• Blanket or matting insulation
• Loose-fill insulation
• Blow-in insulation

 

Floor insulation

Laying floor insulation can prevent heat loss through the floor. Many homes have suspended floors with a cavity beneath that can be filled with insulating material.

A layer of insulation can also be laid underneath carpets and floor coverings to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Filling gaps around skirting boards with caulking or sealant can also be an inexpensive way to prevent heat loss through the floors.

 

Cavity and solid wall insulation

Cavity wall insulation is pumped into a built in wall cavity between the inner and outer walls. This usually needs to be done by a professional, but is relatively quick and inexpensive.

Solid wall insulation is installed onto the interior of exterior of a wall. This is more expensive than cavity wall insulation and can involve building or redecorating works.

 

The Renewable Energy Hub

Visit the Renewable Energy Hub at renewableenergyhub.co.uk for more information about insulating your home, or to find a local installer.

 

Ventilation is essential for keeping the air quality of a home to an acceptable level, as it helps remove moisture, smoke, odours and indoor pollutants from the air travelling around the home.

Airflow may seem counterintuitive when it comes to being more energy efficient as it means bringing in air from the outside of the home which may be colder while trying to heat the house up, but it’s essential as it will create other problems down the line if the indoor air quality is left unchecked.

One of the main problems most homeowners face today is condensation in the home. The tell-tale signs of condensation is moisture on windows, walls, ceilings, other cold surfaces and behind furniture where airflow may be lower than other areas of the house.

Condensation is more noticeable in the winter as there is a large temperature difference between the inside temperature and the outside temperature meaning that there is more cold surface area for the cold air to ‘condense’ on, leaving water particles.

Having good ventilation in a home and keeping moisture out of the air massively reduces the risks of black mould forming on cold spots on walls and ceilings which can be incredibly dangerous to a person's health if exposed to it for a long time. It can also reduce asthma and hay fever symptoms.

 

Ventilating your home

Striking the right balance between warmth and ventilation is important and can be very effective.

Make sure vents and airbricks are not covered or obstructed.

Move furniture away from external walls by at least 50mm.

By opening windows or ventilating your home it may appear that you are losing some heat, but what you are actually doing is allowing warm moisture-laden air to escape and permitting cool dry air to enter your home. Dry air is actually cheaper to heat than warm moist air!

The advice is to ventilate for an appropriate period of time, usually between 30 minutes to 1 hour a day, not to leave the windows open all day.

 

Excess moisture

Take steps to reduce the amount of moisture in the air:

• In cold weather try to keep temperatures between 18-21°C in main living areas whilst indoors.
• Dry washing outside whenever possible. If you use a tumble dryer, one that has a vent through an outside wall is better for reducing moisture.
• Don’t dry clothes on radiators. This will make your boiler work harder to heat your house and cost almost as much as using a tumble dryer, whilst creating a lot of condensation.
• If you have an extractor fan in your kitchen and/or bathroom, use it while you are cooking or bathing/showering and clean it regularly.
• Always ventilate or open a window when using the kitchen or the bathroom and close the doors to prevent moisture in the air from spreading to other parts of the house.
• When running a bath put the cold water in first; this results in significantly less condensation.
• When cooking, put lids on pans to reduce the amount of steam (moisture) being added to the air.
• If you have windows with trickle vents, leave them open as much as possible.
• Move furniture away from walls so that warm air can circulate.
• Don’t cover air vents, they help moisture escape and ventilate your home.
• Avoid paraffin or gas bottle heaters. They produce large amounts of water vapour and are very expensive to run!

 

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Working on roofs is a hazardous activity because it involves working at height.

Roof work accounts for a quarter of all deaths in the construction industry. Falls through fragile materials, such as roof lights and asbestos cement roofing sheets, account for more of these deaths than any other single cause.

Not all the people injured while working on roofs are trained roofers: many people accessing roofs are maintenance workers. There are also many serious injuries, often resulting in permanent disabilities.

The Health and Safety Executive has produced free guidance on health and safety in roof spaces anyone planning, arranging or supervising roof work, including:

• directors and partners of companies who carry out roof work
• clients of projects involving roof work
• designers and specifiers of buildings and components
• principal contractors for projects that include roof work
• owners of buildings where roof work may take place
• trade union safety representatives and employees' safety representatives
• anyone carrying out roof work, including employees and the self-employed, and safety consultants

Visit www.hse.gov.uk for more information or to download a free copy

 

A handyperson is usually a charged-for service and the cost will vary dependent on the work being undertaken.

Handyperson services differ from place to place, but these are the sorts of jobs they can usually help with:

• Small repairs - putting up curtain rails, shelves and pictures
• Safety measures - fitting smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and grab rails
• Home security - door and window locks, door chains and door viewers
• Energy efficiency checks - installing draught excluders, radiator heat reflectors and energy efficient lightbulbs

 

Age UK Lincoln and South Lincolnshire – Handyperson services

Age UK Lincoln and South Lincolnshire’s Handyperson Services can provide support with maintaining your home.

Visit www.ageuk.org.uk for more information about Handyperson services

 

Check out the Good Home Lincs pages on Trusted Tradespeople for more information about finding tradespeople to carry out work.

 

Check out the Good Home Lincs pages on Paying for works for more information about funding works.