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Insulating your home
Insulating your home could be a great way to help lower your carbon emissions and your energy bills.
The benefits of insulation
Need some help installing your insulation?
We’ve teamed up with Effective Home, an experienced loft and cavity wall insulation installer, to help insulate your property.
Effective Home’s expert installers will advise you on the best insulation for your property with a free, no obligation quote.
They’ll also check if you’re eligible for any government grants, which could reduce the cost of your installation.
David's insulation experience
David tells us about his experience insulating his home and getting to claim the Green Living Reward.
Disclaimer: Any views expressed in these videos are the customers’ own, not those of Halifax.
All cashback values were correct at the time of filming and might not match current values. Customers in these videos used their own installers.
Other important information
- Halifax isn’t responsible for the improvements carried out by your chosen supplier.
- Halifax releasing any funds towards a purchase doesn’t guarantee the quality of work done by the supplier. It’s up to you to make sure you’re satisfied with the improvements carried out.
- Halifax can’t make any guarantee about the costs of the work needed or any savings that can be made. You’re responsible for making your own decision.
- You agree Halifax might contact you for research purposes.
Is insulation right for my home?
Insulation in some shape or form should work in most homes. It doesn’t just keep homes warmer in the winter, it also helps keep homes cooler in summertime. Just remember to adjust your heating settings to see any potential energy bill savings.
Types of insulation
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The Energy Saving Trust estimates around 25% of heat lost in uninsulated homes is through the roof. So, roof insulation could be an effective way to reduce heat loss and your heating bills.
Loft insulation
Your loft might already have some insulation, but adding some extra layers could make sure you keep the heat in. Installing 270mm of loft insulation could save up to £270 a year, for example*.
If your loft is easy to access and doesn’t have any damp problems, it could be fairly easy to insulate it yourself with mineral wool insulation. Of course, you can find an accredited installer to do it for you if you prefer.
Roof insulation
Whether you have a flat roof or a sloping roof, you should be able to insulate it in some way. Flat roof insulation will need a professional installer and if your roof is damp, you might need a professional assessment completed beforehand.
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Insulating your floor creates an extra barrier between your home and the ground, helping to keep your property warm and lower your energy bills.
The best type of floor insulation for your home will depend on what type of floors you have. For example, newer homes tend to have solid concrete ground floors. These can be insulated, but it’s usually best to do it when the floor needs to be replaced.
If you don’t want to wait until then, you can lay rigid insulation and chipboard on top of the original floor. This could mean you’ll need to raise the floor level in other rooms, so think about this before you start.
Older homes are more likely to have suspended timber floors, which can be insulated by lifting the floorboards and laying mineral wool insulation between the joists. If you live in a detached house, you could save up to £110 a year by insulating under the floorboards.*
Not all insulation work needs to be carried out by a professional, but it’s a good idea to use one if you’re not sure what you’re doing. Simply putting down rugs and carpets on your floors is an easy way to add extra layers of insulation, and you could try sealing any gaps between your floors and skirting boards to reduce draughts.
Any extra insulation you add to your floors will need to comply with the relevant building regulations, so make sure you check them out before starting. If you use an accredited installer, they’ll normally arrange this for you but it’s still your responsibility to check.
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Insulating your hot water tank, pipes, and radiators can be a great place to start when it comes to cost-effective ways to make a difference.
Water tank
A hot water tank jacket is usually fairly simple to fit and normally costs around £20-£30. They can reduce the amount of heat escaping through the tank, so your water stays hotter for longer and you spend less money heating it up in the first place.
Pipes
Insulating pipes with things like rubber or insulated foil tape is another job you might to do yourself. Doing it is important, as it can stop them freezing and bursting in low temperatures, particularly useful if they’re outside pipes. If you’re not a confident DIYer, you can always ask someone more experienced for help.
Radiators
Heat escaping through walls is a common issue with radiators. But one way you can limit this is by adding reflector panels behind your radiators. This is an effective, low-cost option and could reduce your energy consumption and save money on your heating bills.
The Energy Saving Trust estimates around one-third of all heat lost in uninsulated homes is through the walls. So, wall insulation is a good place to start when thinking about insulating your home.
Cavity walls
These are insulated by injecting material into the cavity from the outside and sealing them with concrete. It’s best to get a professional or specialist company to do this. Homes built after the 1920s are more likely to have cavity walls.
Costs will vary depending on the size of your home. But - according to The Energy Saving Trust estimates - you should be able to claw installation costs back in around five years thanks to the yearly energy bill savings you’ll make.
Solid walls
Most solid walls can be insulated either from the inside or the outside. This means they might cost more to insulate, but you could make bigger savings on your heating bills overall once it’s been done. Homes built before the 1920s are more likely to have solid external walls rather than cavity walls.
Internal wall insulation is done by fitting rigid insulation boards to the wall, or by building a stud wall filled with insulation material. It’s usually cheaper to install than external wall insulation and you can do it room by room. It can be more disruptive than external wall insulation, though.
External wall insulation is done by fixing a layer of insulation material to the wall and covering it with plaster or cladding. It has extra benefits you don’t get with internal wall insulation, including reducing draughts, condensation, and damp. It also improves the appearance of your home’s external walls, as well as better weatherproofing and sound resistance.
Other things you can do to reduce heat loss in your home
Draught-proofing
Put simply, draught-proofing your home just means blocking up any gaps where warm air gets out and cold air gets in.
This includes:
- Windows - filling the gap between the window and the frame.
- Doors - including the keyholes, letterbox, and any gaps around the edges.
- Chimneys - for unused fireplaces.
- Floorboards and skirting boards - by blocking cracks created by movements in the floor.
- Loft hatches - covering gaps around the edges so hot air doesn’t rise into your loft.
Draught-proofing is usually one of the easiest and most cost-effective things you can do. You can do it yourself or get a professional in, depending on how much you’re planning to spend and where you want to draught-proof. If you do it yourself, take care not to block up any ventilation routes.
Windows and doors
Installing energy-efficient window glazing, as well as insulating and draught-proofing your doors can reduce the amount of heat loss in your home, helping to reduce your energy bills and carbon footprint.
If you’ve got double or triple-glazing, your windows are already well insulated. They’ll block noise and reduce condensation as well as keep the heat in. If you haven’t got double or triple-glazing, you’ll need a professional installer, as any work must adhere to building regulations.
There might also be restrictions on what you can do to your windows - if you live in a listed building, for example - so make sure you check with your local council first.
Doors can also be insulated. But again, make sure you have the relevant approvals before installing any new doors. You could also think about draught-proofing your existing doors with draught-excluders and sealing around your letterbox, for example.
Home energy grants and schemes
Help might be available if you’re planning on insulating your home. This will depend on where in the UK you live, and if you meet the qualifying criteria.
Source: Energy Saving Trust