There are many companies across the UK who are available to carry out loft and cavity wall insulation and many of them appear on this page.
Adding more loft or cavity wall insulation to your home is normally the biggest single thing you can do to save money on gas and electricity and cut your personal contribution to climate change.
You can add insulation to almost any house. The loft, and also the cavity between your home's inner and outer walls are the best areas to insulate. Tackling these saves a lot of energy, and the work normally covers its cost within 2 years.
The lead-time for insulation services can vary from a month in the summer to six or seven months in the winter and this is a constantly moving picture. Follow some of these links below to see who can cover your area.
Cavity wall insulation
In most houses built after the 1920s, the external walls are made of two layers with a small air gap or 'cavity' between them. If your home has unfilled cavity walls, a considerable slice of your energy bills will be spent heating the air outside. Filling the gap between the two walls of a house with an insulating material massively decreases the amount of heat which escapes through the walls. It will help create a more even temperature in your home, help prevent condensation on the walls and ceilings and can also reduce the amount of heat in the summer.
How it is installed? Cavity wall insulation is quick, clean and relatively inexpensive to install.
It's usually glass wool or "beads" blown into the cavity from a series of small holes drilled into the wall from the outside, taking between two and three hours in a three bedroom semi-detached house. These modern materials allow any water that penetrates the external brick skin to run down the cavity and away, just as if the cavity was still empty. With the grants available to everyone it typically costs around £250, and with the savings you make on your heating bills, it can pay for itself in under 2 years.
What to do next? Cavity wall insulation needs to be installed by a qualified installer, who should provide you with a 25 year government-backed guarante.
Loft Insulation
You could be losing up to a third of the heat in your house through your roof. Loft insulation can cut this right down. The recommended depth
for insulation is at least 270mm. If you currently have insulation that
is less thick than this you may consider adding another layer, although
the payback time is longer. There are various materials that you can use to insulate your loft. Most frequently used is mineral wool, although you can now use real wool if you want a natural alternative.
How it is installed? You can install loft insulation yourself, or use a
contractor which is often cheaper because of government grants. It should cost around £250, but cover this cost within a year through reduced heating bills.
What to do next? A contractor is often cheaper than DIY, because of the grants that you can access to. Follow these links to some of the UK's leading insulation companies. You can also find materials and advice at most DIY stores or builders merchants.
