Home Insulation Guide

Unsure of where to get started with insulating your home and all the benefits that follow? Look no further than our one-stop guide for what you need to know about insulating both solid and cavity walls, loft insulation and under your floor.

How can my home benefit from insulation?

Having an uninsulated home not only leads to heat loss, but also to a larger carbon footprint and increased energy bills. Installing effective methods of insulation can significantly improve your home, with noticeable difference all year round.

Up to 25% of heat can be lost through an uninsulated loft.

Up to 45% of heat can be lost through uninsulated walls.

Up to 10% of heat can be lost through uninsulated floors.

Wall insulation

Whether you have solid or cavity walls, most heat is lost through uninsulated walls. Shockingly, up to 45% of heat could be lost through solid walls. This heat loss will significantly effect your home's ability to retain heat as well as increasing your carbon footprint and energy bills. Wall insulation is a great way to keep your home warmer, think of it as wrapping your house in a blanket or hat and scarf.

Wall insulation is effective all year round, with insulating benefits in the winter to keep your home warmer as well as having cooling effects on your home during warm summer months.

Insulating Cavity Walls

To insulate cavity walls, small holes are drilled into the brickwork of your home in an even pattern. Using these, the insulation material is then injected into the wall, filling the cavity space. This creates an insulation layer, reducing heat loss. Once the walls have been fully insulated, the small holes are then filled in and matched to the surrounding brickwork. Cavity Wall insulation is a relatively straightforward process and should take a professional installer less than one day to install.

To find out more about Cavity wall insulation, click here.

If you are a homeowner or rental tenant in receipt of a qualifying benefit, you could be eligible for a free cavity wall insulation grant. Click here to find out more about available ECO grants.

Insulating Solid Walls

Solid wall insulation is a great way of insulating your home. The installation of expanded polystyrene, foam boards reduces heat loss therefore, keeping your home warmer, more energy efficient and saving on your energy bills.

The process of insulating solid walls is completed in stages.

First is preparation and protection, where APU beading is placed around the edges of windows and doors, as well as a protection film to prevent the base or top coat preventing any damage. The walls are then primed, followed by the installation of Extruded polystyrene foam boards being installed to the lower areas. Expanding foam tape is then applied along the top of these boards, followed by an aluminium starter track which is securely fastened into the wall. This is to prevent any water penetrating behind the system. A clip on profile bead is also applied here, as well as a verge trim being added at the top of the walls to prevent water penetrating at the top end of the system.

Next, Expanded polystyrene boards (the insulation boards) are applied to the wall using the base coat. Mechanical fixings are then routed into the foam boards at regular intervals, thermal dowels are then installed into these fixings to prevent cold bridging and / or damp spots throughout.

Once the insulation boards have been applied to the wall, reinforcement mesh and beading is added around any windows, doors or corners. This includes stress patches of mesh which help to prevent cracks. The final layer of base coat is then applied across the whole wall, followed by another layer of mesh to further support.

24-48 hours later, a top coat primer is applied to the wall, followed by the silicone top coat. This is the final finish on the wall and will be in a colour suited to your preference.

To find out more about Solid wall insulation, click here.

Loft insulation

Insulating your loft space could have a surprising benefit on your heating bills. It is estimated that up to 25% of heat can be lost through an uninsulated loft. With this, it is definitely something you should consider and think about if you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint for the future.

To find out more about loft insulation, click here.

If you are a homeowner or rental tenant in receipt of a qualifying benefit, you could be eligible for a free loft insulation grant. Click here to find out more about available ECO grants.

Under floor insulation

Suspended floors feature a large air space underneath timber joists. This allows for good air flow beneath the floor, however if uninsulated, this can lead to heat loss. Installing proper insulation keeps your home warmer as well as reducing cold draughts.

To find out more about floor insulation, click here.

If you are a homeowner or rental tenant in receipt of a qualifying benefit, you could be eligible for a free under floor insulation grant. Click here to find out more about available ECO grants.