The Benefits of Home Insulation

There is no doubt that energy bills have steadily been on the rise for quite some time now; as time has progressed, people have become much more aware of the energy and money saving measures they can take to combat the rising prices of energy. As we are stuck well into the winter season, this is a fantastic time to look at some methods that allow you to cut down the cost of heating bills and simultaneously turn your home into an energy efficient, heat containing place to live.

Insulating your home is one of the best ways to ready your house for the colder months, keeping out the cold and locking in the heat to maintain a cosy temperature for far longer than an un-insulated building. It is one of the best methods when looking to create an energy efficient home, short of installing Solar PV panels.

Suitability

Generally, most houses built post-1920 are constructed with a gap or cavity between the two layers of their external walls. Having these cavities filled with insulation is a fantastic way of containing heat within the home and saving a large amount of money on heating bills over time. For many homeowners, having cavity wall insulation in the home has been one of the best energy saving decisions they have made. Most homes can expect to see payback on the cost of the insulation in between 1-3 years; the savings made over the months using cavity wall insulation are more than enough reason to consider installing it in your home.

But how do you know if cavity wall insulation is well suited to your house? Well, here are a few points to think about when considering your home for cavity wall insulation:

• Are the external walls of your home double layered? Is the spacing between them unfilled?
• The spacing between each wall has a minimum width of 50mm
• The exterior brick walls on your home are in suitable condition
• The house is at least ten years old – New houses are commonly insulated after construction.
• There is no possibility of the walls being exposed to ‘driving rain’.
• There are no signs of damp in the wall cavity; if there are, the problem must be treated beforehand.

If your walls are somehow not well suited to cavity wall insulation then consider seeking advice from a recommended insulation installer. If you are looking to contain heat within your home and save energy then consider attic insulation as an alternative. This works well in conjunction with cavity wall insulation but if your walls are not suitable then this could still have a good impact on your energy bills. 

This energy saving article was written by Daniel Travis – Brown on behalf of Solar Choice. Follow him on Twitter @DanTravisBrown

Keep Reading and Check out these Articles:

1. What is a Zero Energy House?
2. Home Insulation 101
3. Home Insulation
4. Commercial and Home Energy Audits
5. Home Remodeling

One Response to “The Benefits of Home Insulation”

1. Tom says:

   January 17, 2012 at 8:48 pm

   There are a lot of other methods to insulate your house, but how are you going to fill in the free space on an already built house with this substance? I have actually just seen two types of insulation – external and internal. I guess there was a third one too

   Reply