Home insurance - tips & advice - green living
 

1 Check for cavity walls

If your home was built after 1935, the walls are at least 26.5cm thick and have a regular brick pattern on the outside, then it’s likely that you have cavity walls. Insulate your cavity walls and you could save up to 33% of your heat from escaping.

2 Get an energy-saving grant

You could get a grant to insulate your cavity walls for about £125. With the savings you make on fuel bills you should be able to recoup that amount in just over a year. For further details, go to www.heatproject.co.uk.

3 Reap the benefits

Cavity wall insulation creates an even temperature in your home, helps prevent condensation on the walls and ceilings and can also reduce the amount of heat building up inside your home during hot summer spells.

4 Do get lofty ideas

As much as a third of heating costs could be escaping through your roof. Insulate to a recommended depth of 270mm to save energy and money.

5 Do the draught test

A typical 20% of all heat loss is through ventilation and draughts. Hold the palm of your hand up against the windows of your home. If you feel cold air coming through, the warm air is escaping.

6 Ask the experts

For advice on all insulation, tools and tradesmen contact the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre at www.save20percent.co.uk. Direct Line Home Response 24 cover also provides expert tradesmen and advice in an emergency.

7 Invest in a fan

If condensation is a problem, installing an extractor can help. In this case, you should only draught-proof internal doors and leave windows and external doors alone. If you have a lot of condensation inside the house, you probably need an additional air brick to improve ventilation.

8 Tank things up

Insulating hot water tanks and pipes will help keep your water hot for a bath after a hard day’s work! It will also cut heat loss by around 75% and save you money.

9 Set your standards

British Standard ‘jackets’ for your water cylinder can be found in all good DIY stores and are cheap and easy to fit. If you have one already, check that it’s at least 75mm thick. If not, replace it with a new heat-saving one.

10 Double up

By trapping air between two panes of glass, double-glazing creates an insulating barrier that reduces heat loss, noise and condensation. If you can’t afford to replace all windows, choose rooms that cost the most to heat and that you occupy often, to get the best value from them.