Treat Your Home to a Green Makeover
Energy savings can be achieved through improvements to the building envelope and heating services. If you want to make your house more comfortable to live in, and save money on your fuel bills, why not treat your home to a Green Makeover.
Check Your Home Insulation
Insulation is the most important of all energy conservation measures because its use has such a large impact on your energy expenditure. The question is no longer whether to insulate but how do I achieve a high standard of insulation at a reasonable cost.
Top-Up Your Loft Insulation
If your roof space is already insulated, there will probably be a thin layer of insulation fitted between the joists. To comply with current standards, more loft insulation will usually be required. If the existing loft insulation material is in good condition it can be left in place and another layer added to it to bring the thickness up to the level of the top of the joists. A further layer of loft insulation material should then be laid across the joists at right angles, to reduce heat loss through the joists themselves.
Insulate Your Cavity Walls
Blown insulation is the most economical way of insulating external cavity walls. It is much cheaper than internal or external insulation systems. If you want to know if your external walls can take cavity wall insulation, you should consult a registered cavity wall installer. The most common insulation materials used are: mineral wool, polystyrene beads or urea formaldehyde foam. Holes are drilled into the joints of the external brickwork and the insulation material is blown into the cavity using an injection nozzle. When the injection process is finished, the holes are made good to match the existing mortar as closely as possible. On completion of the work the registered installer will provide a guarantee for the work.
Install Double Glazed Windows
The heat lost through the windows of a home can amount to more than a quarter of the total heat loss. To save energy and improve comfort, old and ill fitting window frames should be replaced with energy efficient, double glazed windows. Expertly designed, assembled and installed double glazed windows will significantly reduce energy usage. A double glazed unit consists of two sheets of glass separated by an air gap. The air gap provides the insulating layer that slows down the heat loss and reduces the opportunity for condensation to form. In order to achieve the U-values required by the building regulations, low emissivity (low-E) glass must be used. Opportunities to replace windows occur infrequently so, when you do, it is sensible to fit windows manufactured to the highest technical standards. cavity wall installer