Upgrade your loft insulation
Last updated Wednesday 30 April 2008
Don't let your heating bills go through the roof
Without loft insulation, as much as £110 worth of heat (15% of your heating costs) goes through the roof every year. With 27cm of insulation you can keep that heat in your house, and save over 935kg of CO2.
Already got insulation? Well, you're getting warmer - but more than six million homes in this country have 7.5cm of insulation or less in their lofts. Topping it up could still save more than 260kg of CO2 and leave you with another £30 or so a year in your pocket.
Read more below
CO2 savings: 935kg (0-27cm) - 260kg (5-27cm)
401 Bloomers are doing this
CO2 reduction 
Cheapness
Popularity 
Cost £180 - £500
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It's Not Easy Being Green: installing loft insulation
Watch the Strawbridges insulate a loft with sheepswool
In this article:
How will it make a difference?
Pub Fact
- About 7% of heat in the average home escapes through the roof
- If everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to 270mm, an amazing £400m would be saved each year. That's enough money to pay the annual fuel bills of nearly 450,000 families
- Half of the heat lost in your home escapes through either the walls or the roof
For a start, it'll save you money, although admittedly it will take a few years to repay your investment (see 'What's stopping me?') In the meantime, it will reduce your CO2 emissions by as much as 935kg a year, depending on how much insulation you have to start with.
What's stopping me?
Not much - this has to be one of the easier actions to follow through. Admittedly you either need a bit of DIY confidence or you'll have to pay a professional. But as with many actions, it starts paying back on the investment immediately. Lagging your loft to 27cm depth from scratch will set you back about £250 if you do it yourself and about £500 to get someone in. Topping up from, say, 5cm will be more like £180 DIY (but still £500 to have it installed professionally). So if you've no insulation currently and you put it in yourself, you'll make your money back in a couple of years.
On top of that, you could be entitled to financial assistance - call the Energy Saving Trust helpline on 0800 512 012 or visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk to find out what's available in your area.
How do I do it?
- Check whether you're getting a bit thin on top: if your existing insulation is much less than the recommended 27cm, you should definitely consider topping it up
- Decide whether you want to install it yourself or get a professional to do it
- If you're opting for DIY, see the Energy Saving Trust website for a step by step guide
- You can still insulate if you have a flat roof. See the Energy Saving Trust website for more details
All the insulation materials listed have their own strengths and weaknesses, and their suitability for you will depend to an extent on the nature of your loft space - but all of them are a better bet than not insulating it at all.
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Went from 0 to 250m of loft insulation - sitting around in my boxer shorts now
There was an issue that our loft is partially boarded and we didn't want to loose the storage space. Apparently, with modern roofs the depth of the joists doesn't all for the full depth of insullation now recommended. However, we are upgrading the insulation in remainder of the loft. About a quarter of the loft is boarded. There are a lot of boxes on top of the boards so we are hoping that this help with retaining heat in the middle bit. Have accepted quote. Awaiting installation. The alternative of spraying foam on the underside of the roof was just too expensive. (Our roof is in good condition and does not require repair work.)
© MMIX
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