It’s starting to get really cold. Therefore having a warm cozy home is a must this time of year.
We understand that having efficient, well-running trade radiators isn’t the only means to a warm and cozy home. Obviously it helps, but there are so many other factors involved in keeping your house well-heated.
This may include the maintenance of your house, the efficiency of your boiler, draughts around windows and doors and – our topic for today…
Wall insulation
Insulating the walls in your home could save you hundreds of pounds every year in bills and take the pressure off your central heating system!
If you have an older house (pre-1930s) you may have solid walls instead of cavity walls. What’s the difference? If you have a cavity wall there will be a gap between two layers of brick work – this makes it incredibly easy to install insulation.
Solid walls, not so easy.
As you might have already guessed, there’s nowhere to put the insulation. And, what’s more, your solid walls may be losing you almost twice as much heat then if your home had cavity walls.
Do not fret though, solid wall insulation is still a process worth looking into. Here are some tips on what to look for when insulating your solid walls.
How can I tell if I have solid or cavity walls?
This may sound simple but… how can you tell? A wall just looks like a wall surely!
The age of your home will indicate the possibility of solid walls – if your house was built before the early 20th century, you will most certainly have solid walls as cavity walls weren’t introduced into the building mainstream until the 1940’s.
If, from the outside, you can see that the brickwork of your home is perfectly even, this will mean you have cavity walls. If the brick work is a bit more higgledy-piggledy… you’ve got solid walls.
Research!
With cavity walls, it’s simple. The insulation goes between the two layers of bricks and Bob’s you’re Uncle. With solid walls, the insulation has to be installed either internally or externally. What? So, what happens to that layer of insulation? Won’t everyone be able to see it?
You can see how this process may be a bit more complex…
Not only will you have to invest in insulation, but you will also have to research into reinforcements and renders for your wall. Reinforcements will strengthen the insulation whilst renders give it the aesthetic quality you want, whether that’s a brick effect or pebble effect or whatever effect you please.
You can see how many different factors there are to consider. This is why research into your insulation project is key!
Get used to the Idea of cost…
After seeing how much extra work goes into insulating a house with solid walls, it may not be a surprise to hear that it will cost more. Quite a fair bit more.
It’s a heavy labour job that will take weeks rather than hours to complete. You’re looking at around 100 pounds per square meter with a solid wall job rather than the average 8 pounds per square meter with a cavity wall. These are just averages and will solely depend on the company you go with.
So, when you’re looking into insulating your walls, make sure you have ideas of where to retrieve your funding!
Is it worth it?
It’s always worth it when it comes to wall insulation. In the long term you will save hundreds of pounds a year on heating bills – hundreds!
You want to feel like your house is your sanctuary. You want to open the door and feel that rush of warmth welcome you home after a long commute in the cold.
Sure, an up to date Central Heating system can help but a well-maintained, insulated house is the sure way to always have a warm and happy house.
Is it worth it? Yes!
If you’d like anymore help on how to heat your home, check out the rest of our blog and have a look at the Designer Radiators Direct website for more!
“Designer Radiator Direct has enabled a special discount of 5%. Use coupon code SAVE05 to get your discount, Applicable on all radiator purchases.”
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