Following the announcement from the UK government on new fuel measures to help counter the predicted rise of 40% in energy bills this winter, Wickes thought you might be interested in some easy insulation solutions to winter-proof homes.
Loft insulation
One of the easiest ways to reduce energy bills is to insulate the property’s roof as over a quarter of a home’s heat is lost through this - by insulating a loft you could save an annual sum of £155.
Walls
When completing an extension remember to insulate new walls as 33% of the entire building’s heat loss is through un-insulated walls. Cavity wall slabs are ideal for insulating extensions.
Doors and windows
Gaps around doors and windows are also a common cause of heat loss and account for about 20% of heat loss. Use foam or rubber seals to fill these costly gaps.
Multifoil insulation is sparking some debate as to it’s effectiveness.
So here are the key points to consider:
Read more...
These are 4 heat saving options that could save you a fortune on your bills.
1. 10% of all heat lost from a house can be through windows. This can be halved by adequate draught proofing and double glazing.
2. 25% of heat can be lost through the roof of a home. This can be dramatically reduced by properly insulating the loft space.
3. 35% of heat can be lost through walls. Cavity wall insulation can cut this down to 10%.
4. Draught proofing external doors can reduce heat loss down from 15% to 9%.
Posted by Bob Bulmer on Thu 3rd January 2008 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Insulation
Usually large window gaps can be dealt with by filling with silicone rubber sealant. This works with both timber frame and metal frame windows - either externally or internally.
The process of sealing is as follows:
• Make sure the frame is thoroughly clean - use a damp cloth or such like.
• Squeeze a small amount of sealant on to the rebate of the fixed frame.
• Using a paintbrush, cover the closing edge of the window with soapy water. This acts as a release agent.
• Immediately pull the window shut to compress the sealant then open again.
• In fine weather the sealant should take around two hours to set. The beauty of this sealant is that it hardens on the surface, but retains a degree of flexibility underneath - this gives the desired seal.
When constructing your own home, you may want to give some consideration to proper sound insulation. An effective and eco friendly solution is recycled rubber Acousticel Wall Panels from Sound Service.
Integrated into party walls, the recycled rubber panels apparently reduce sound transmission by almost 90%. Well worth it, if you want guaranteed sleep at night.
Sound system say:
Read more...
