Home Insulation
Insulation will help your home stay
warmer in winter and cooler on hot summer days.
Insulation is a straightforward,
inexpensive job and one of the most cost-effective ways of keeping
warmth in your home. It takes less fuel to keep a well insulated
home warm.
By fully insulating your home you
could save £100 or more on you annual heating bills.
Warmer Beds Home Insulation
Scheme
The ‘Warmer Beds’
Home Insulation Scheme is offering a special
discounted price to homeowners in Bedford Borough to help make
their homes more energy efficient, save money on their heating
bills and reduce carbon emissions.
Bedford Borough Council is offering cavity
wall insulation from £99 and loft insulation from
£129 (subject to survey), or FREE to over
70s or those on qualifying benefits.
Two thirds of all heat lost from an
un-insulated home is through the walls and roof. Even if your
home already has loft insulation, it may not be sufficient as it is
now recommended that your insulation is at least 270mm (10.5
inches) thick.
Residents of Bedford Borough can apply for
discounted or free insulation if their home has less than 120mm
loft insulation or no insulation in the cavity walls.
Bedford Borough Council is working with Street
Energy to deliver this scheme. If you are interested in
finding out more, contact Bedford Borough Council on 01234 267422
or Street Energy on 0800 043 5690 to arrange
for a surveyor to carry out a FREE home insulation
check.
The Warm Front Scheme
provides heating and insulation improvements to households on
certain income-related benefits living in properties that are
poorly insulated and/or do not have a working central heating
system.
Qualifying households can get
improvements worth up to £3,500 (£6,000 where oil central heating
and other alternative technologies are recommended). Grants are
available for improvements such as:
- loft insulation
- draughtproofing
- cavity wall insulation
- hot water tank insulation
- gas, electric, liquid petroleum gas or oil heating
- glass-fronted fire - the Warm Front scheme can convert your
solid-fuel open fire to a glass-fronted fire
Find out more about the
Warm Front scheme, including who qualifies and how to apply by
calling 0800 316 2805.
Home Insulation
There are various ways a house can
be insulated, though what can be achieved in a particular home is
dependent on its particular construction. For more information you
can visit the National
Insulation Association's website.
Cavity wall
insulation
If your home was built after 1945
it will most likely have cavity walls, which can be filled with an
insulation material and could save you up to 25% on your fuel
bills. Even if your home was built in the 1990s it may not
have insulation in the cavities. The installation is simple –
a professional installer injects the insulating material into the
external wall by drilling a series of small holes. The
material itself can vary from foam to mineral wook (rock or glass
to polystyrene beads), depending on your property and budget.
Cavity wall insulation can to be
removed in cases where the insulation has an old foam system which
has now deteriorated. If you think your cavity wall insulation is
no longer adequate then some companies may be able to
remove and replace it.
Loft insulation
Another area where a large amount
of heat from your home can escape is through the roof.
Installing insulation in your loft can save about 25% off your
heating costs and keep your home warmer. Even if you already
have insulation in the roof the current standards are now 250mm/10”
depth so why not top it up to save as much energy and money as
possible? To meet current Building Regulations you need 270mm of
mineral wool insulation. 100mm between the ceiling joists and 170mm
laid over the joists.
Loft insulation can be installed yourself by talking to your local
Builders Merchant of DIY specialist, though always remember to
include good ventilation to avoid condensation and subsequent wood
rot. Alternatively loft insulation can be installed by a
professional.
Hot water tank and pipe insulation
Insulating your hot water tank is
simple and will keep your water hot for longer, therefore saving
energy and money. British standard ‘jackets’, which can be
found in any good DIY store, cost from around £10 and are easy to
install.
If you already have a jacket but it is less than 75mm/3” thick then
it is worth fitting another round it or replacing it altogether to
make the most savings.
You can save more energy and money by insulating your hot water
pipes wherever you can – especially those between the boiler and
the hot water cylinder.
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