| Only heat the rooms you use Turn
down the radiators or close warm air grilles and keep the
doors and windows closed. But, keep an eye on rooms that are
not heated for a long time for signs of condensation or mould.
Doors and windows
Keep doors and windows closed when the heating is on, but
don't block ventilators or airbricks.
Curtains
Open windows on the sunny side of the house when the sun
is up so that the sun can warm the rooms. Close all curtains
when it gets dark.Do not have furniture close to or in front
of radiators. If you have deep windowsills, curtains should
sit neatly on top of them and not cover the radiator.
Filling in gaps between skirting boards and floor
Fill in any gaps between skirting boards and the floor. This
can be done with wood moulding or with one of the fillers,
which you can get from DIY shops.
Heat reflective foil behind radiators
Fit heat reflective foil behind radiators on outside walls
to keep the heat inside your home, with the shiny side facing
into the room.
Draught proofing
Draughts are one of the main reasons why homes feel cold
and cost a lot to heat. Draught strip windows, outside doors
and the loft hatch and fill gaps in the ground floor floorboards
and below the skirting board. NB. Do not cover vents/air bricks
Roof insulation
As much as 20% of your energy bill can be saved by effective
loft insulation. If you have a loft, it should have insulation
at least 150 mm (6 in) thick to keep the heat in. If your
insulation is 50 mm (2 in) thick or less, you may be eligible
for a grant. Don't forget to insulate the loft hatch and pipes/tank
in loft.
Cavity wall insulation
More heat is lost through the walls of an average uninsulated
house than by any other route. Most homes built since the
early 1030's have cavity walls (two walls with a gap in between)
which can be filled with insulating material. To install cavity
wall insulation most people will need to employ a builder.
Solid wall insulation
Solid walls can be insulated but can be a problem to do.
It may be worth doing a north facing wall or one that is exposed.
Internal insulation
Timber battens can be fixed to the wall in order that plasterboard,
tongued and grooved boarding or a decorative wallboard can
be attached. The timber battes are infilled with insulation
such as mineral wool. Make sure a vapour barrier is installed
to reduce the risk of interstitial condensation. Remember
that internal solid wall insulation will reduce the room size
by approximately 50 mm (2 in) along the side of the wall.
Light switches, plugs, skirting boards will have to be removed
and replaced. This measure is very disruptive if occupants
are living in the property at the time of the work.
External insulation
It's a job for a specialist contractor and you can obtain
details from the External Wall Insulation Association, a list
of their members and descriptions of the systems they offer.
Floor insulation
As much as 10% can be lost through floorboards. If there
is easy access to the joists under the floorboards, you can
insulate from below by filling the spaces between the joists
with mineral wool mat or expanded polystyrene boards.
Double glazing
Even draught-proofed, single glazed windows allow a lot of
heat to be lost (around 20% of the total heat loss from the
house). Heat loss through windows can be halved with double-glazing.
Professionally fitted double-glazing can be expensive, but
if you need new windows, having double-glazing fitted is the
sensible thing to do as it makes rooms more comfortable. Put
double-glazing in the rooms you use the most and on large
windows first. Where double-glazing can halve the heat loss
through windows, double-glazing with low emissivity glass
can reduce it by a further 30%.
Secondary double glazing
Various methods can be fitted on DIY basis. Cling-film:-
attached to the inner window frame with double sided tape.
Then heat is applied to stretch surface - a hairdryer can
be used for this. Will last for only 1 year. Rigid or flexible
plastic sheeting:- attached in a similar manner to cling film.
Very durable Second pane:- second pane placed in an aluminium
or plastic frame and fitted either by hinges or runners. |
