According to BRE Group, the UK has a population of circa 66,000,000 and a housing stock of just circa 2.8 million homes. Of these homes, circa 54% were constructed pre-1960. Naturally, this gives rise to a number of issues with regard to energy efficiency as standards and legislation improve year after year.
With the push to become carbon net zero, is your home energy efficient?
There are a number of measures that you can consider in order to increase the thermal mass of your property and reduce energy consumption:
Cavity Wall Insulation
Cavity Wall insulation is a retrospective insulating method that is designed to significantly reduce the amount of energy required to heat your home by reducing heat loss through the walls. In nearly all cases, properties constructed after the 1920s have been built with a cavity to act as a vertical damp-proof course and protect against the ingress of rainwater. This means that the external wall is constructed with two leaves of masonry, such as brick and block, with an air gap in the middle called the ‘cavity’.
This cavity can be filled with blown or injected insulation by drilling holes through the mortar beds in specific patterns. It is thought that homes can reduce their energy consumption by up to 15% with the use of cavity insulation.
It is important to ensure that your property is suitable for such intervention and therefore a Chartered Surveyor should be asked to check beforehand. The installation of the insulation should also be covered by a Guarantee.
Solid Wall lnsulation
Solid brick walls lose much more heat than cavity walls given their construction form. Solid masonry walls can be insulated both internally and externally:
Solid Wall External lnsulation
External insulation can be applied to the facing brickwork but will always need to be protected by a weatherproofing finish such as a render.
In most cases, the insulating boards are secured to the masonry with clips and then finished in a thin layer of render. All window reveals and cill details are extended to ensure that rainwater discharges away from the property.
This is a good method of increasing the thermal mass of your walls, without losing any internal space.
Solid Wall Internal lnsulation
Internal wall insulation fixes insulating boards to the internal face of the enclosing walls as opposed to the external. As such, there is no requirement for the insulating boards to be rendered though they will need to be dry-lined and plastered.
Typically, the boards are 100mm thick and so there is a risk of losing internal floor space with this method.
However, the installation of internal wall insulation is much cheaper than external wall insulation with very similar efficiency benefits.
Loft lnsulation
Loft insulation is a very simple way to increase the thermal mass of your property and reduce heat loss.
You can purchase insulation in rolls from any reputable DIY store and install it yourself.
However, care must be taken to ensure that the insulation is laid properly and in a continuous fashion in order to prevent any cold spots from forming on the ceilings below (this may cause condensation).
Loft insulation can provide a reduction of up to 15% in heat loss from a building.
Floor lnsulation
Timber-suspended floors can be insulated by lifting the floorboards and laying insulation material between the floor joists. You can also insulate concrete floors though this is a much more destructive and invasive method. In most cases, draughts and gaps between floorboards and the skirting boards are also sealed at the same time.
However, be sure to avoid sealing air bricks as this will likely cause moisture-laden air to accumulate within the floor void resulting in degradation and rot of the timber.
If you are unsure, please speak to a Chartered Surveyor and a reputable company before taking the decision to insulate your floor.
Draught Proofing
Installing retrospective insulation in order to increase the thermal mass of your property is an effective way to reduce energy consumption. However, improving the thermal properties of the walls, roof and floors will make little difference if you have persistent draughts allowing for the ingress of cold air and egress of warm air.
Sealing gaps between doors, letter boxes, floors etc can be a great way to prevent heat loss but remember that your property is designed to breathe so you need some sort of passive ventilation.
Again, if you are unsure, speak to a Chartered Surveyor
Glazing
Installing modern double glazing can cut heat loss through windows by almost half!
Double glazing works by trapping air between two sheets of glass creating an insulating barrier. This is referred to as being a hermetically sealed unit.
Installing windows is often tricky so we would advise that you instruct a suitably competent and fully certified (FENSA) Contractor to undertake the works. You can also install secondary glazing internally. This is often the preferred method of installation for dated, listed and/or protected buildings.
We would always recommend that you speak to a Chartered Surveyor before making a decision on what to do.
The Energy Saving Trust can offer additional impartial advice including how to contact an Energy Efficiency Installer or Energy Efficiency Advice Centres. The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation, funded both by the government and private sector. Call 0800 512012 or visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
