Fitting Insulation

Date Published:: 27/05/2008

It makes sense to insulate your home - it's eco-friendly, keeps bills down and the heat in. Here's our guide to what's what.

By Mark Ramuz

Insulating The Loft

No less (and probably more) than a staggering 25 per cent of the heat from a home can be lost through the roof. Start saving money and keeping warm by making sure you have a properly insulated loft. This is an ideal DIY job that doesn't need any special skills. DIY stores sell insulation in various thicknesses so you can top up your old insulation. The total insulation thickness should be at least 270mm.

These materials are itchy but you can now buy encapsulated glass fibre insulation - in other words, the fibres come in a silver wrapping, making it much more user friendly. A 4m roll costs around £10.

Before you start work, use a torch to check that all the exposed wood looks in good condition. Check especially for any dampness or small holes that indicate woodworm. Carry out any repairs or call in a professional.

Measure the distance between your ceiling joists. Insulating mineral fibre is usually sold in 5 to 8m lengths, 370mm wide to fit the standard spacing. If your loft has very uneven spacing or lots of cross rails, use insulation granules which can be poured into any shaped space.

Lofts are dirty places and insulation fibres can irritate the skin so take off your watch and wear a mask, overalls and gloves. For safety, it's also worth putting down some chipboard loft panels to stop you putting your foot though the ceiling below.

Lift all the insulation materials into the loft and unroll the first length so that it fits between the ceiling joists. Start at one end and work your way across the loft. Leave a small 25mm gap between the end of the rolls and the eaves to allow air to circulate. Butt the ends of rolls together. If you have recessed ceiling lights or other wiring laying around, carefully lay the wire on top of the insulation and leave space around each light fitting to prevent overheating.

The loft hatch is often a very cold spot as warm air is drawn up into the loft space. Cut some insulation and fit this over the back of the loft door. Keep it tidy by putting the roll in a bin liner and then attach it with string or tape.

DIY Payback

If you're prepared to get a bit dirty and insulate the loft yourself, material costs will be around £250 for an average house. This could save a hefty £110 per year, meaning a two-year payback time.

More Insulation & Heating Info

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Comments

When your selling loft insulation for a living, you soon discover that people are not aware, *nor do they care*, that the HEAT in the home is held back [it's retained] by a thin sheet of chalky ceiling plaster-board. To understand the problem get an small off-cut of scrap plasterboard and examine it. Question: How much heat is that going to retain? the answer is either none, or very little indeed. In 1961 ROOF / LOFT INSULATION was an hard idea to push, in 1971 - 2001 the concept of heat conservation was beginning to be appreciated, but guess what, OAP still didn't want it. Why? because they did not want workmen in their homes. To counter this the Govt decided to give it away free - they brought out grants, but even then the take up was'nt that great. An English mans home is his castle, and we know how cold castles can be in the winter. It's now 2009, if I go down a street, any street in the UK, I know that 40% of the homes have no insulation, or have 1960s 1" inch insulation, knock on these doors and maybe providing it's free you might find 3 who want it done. Some advice: Lay it along the joists, then across the joists, and make sure the ends are closed / or close knit, otherwise you have 50 little tunnels spewing heat out into the eaves. And insulate under the tiles, ridge to gutter - along / down the joists, I know its a sod off a job, but well worth the effort. And get it done, today, not next year.

Posted by 40 years Man / Boy on 08/04/2009 02:50:20

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I was looking for a comparison of available insulation materials for a new build. their efficiency, cost , life-length etc. This would be most useful. I do not need to be convinced to use insulation only want some practical advice to make decisions.

Posted by shirley bork on 21/03/2009 11:04:59

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Could not find any info about insulation under solid floors. eg flag-stones or concret. Ian

Posted by Ian on 13/03/2009 22:47:51

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Hi, In at least one project, possibly including a Brighton penthouse, you noted a remarkably efficient insulating 'foil' worth umpteen inches of 'cosywrap'. Can you possibly repeat ,divulge, the name of such? Best regards, Derek Noden

Posted by Derek Noden on 20/08/2008 17:53:13

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