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Home Insulation Options
As is typical with our British weather, we’re always going to need to heat our homes for at least five or six months a year. You only have to look at the winters we’ve experienced recently to know that sometimes, putting on an extra jacket or a thermal vest isn’t enough. But with gas and electricity bills set to rocket in 2012, we’ll be more reluctant than ever to crank up the heating. Luckily, there are ways to make your heat – and your money – go further during the cold winter months - by getting your home insulated.
There are a few different types of insulation available for homes in Britain. A common type is cavity wall insulation. If your home was built after 1932, then chances are you have a cavity in the walls of your house – this is when there is a small gap between the inner and the outer wall of your home. If there is only air within this cavity, then precious (and expensive!) heat energy can travel quite easily through the cavity and drift away into the outside world, meaning you’re not getting the most from your heat. From here, you’re faced with the prospect of having to crank up the boiler higher, and for longer.
However, if an insulating material like polystyrene is in the cavity space, heat finds it much more difficult to escape, enabling more heat to stay where it should be: keeping you cosy. Government grants and initiatives, such as the Warm Front scheme, are available, which entitle you to money to put towards cavity wall insulation, and energy providers such as British Gas offer cavity wall insulation from as little as £199, with a free survey to see if cavity wall insulation is for you.
In addition, you can also get loft insulation for your house. Those of you who remember your secondary school science lessons will know that hot air rises upwards above cold air – and the hot air in your house is no exception. It is estimated that up to 25 per cent of the heat in British households is lost through the roof, so loft insulation is another great way of making the most of your heat. The main ingredient in loft insulation is fibreglass – while it’s unpleasant and itchy, it’s great for stuffing up in your loft as it’s very difficult for heat to get through. Once again, loft insulation is covered by a number of government grants, and providers such as British Gas can install loft insulation for a relatively low cost (especially when you consider how much money you’re going to save!).
Insulation is certainly the way forward for those of you looking to cut your heating bills. And, it’s also great in the summer, as it keeps your house cool by preventing hot air from outside getting in.
Article by Connor Sephton, 23rd November 2011. Content correct at the date of publication.
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