Insulation
Advice on Reducing Heat Loss to Save Money on Energy Bills
When advising customers on installing Renewable Heating systems our advise is always to conserve as much of the heat they are generating as possible. Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps work most efficiently in homes with good levels of insulation, as the maximum amount of heat produced is retained within the building. In homes with conventional heating systems such as gas and oil improving insulation levels to reduce heat loss could have a significant impact on fuel consumption. According to the Energy Saving Trust half of the heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft, another area of the home where valuable heat is lost is through windows and doors.
The Energy Saving Trust estimate that installing cavity wall insulation could save the average homeowner £110 a year and solid wall insulation could save up to £375 a year. In a home with no loft insulation installing the recommended level of 270mm could save £145 a year and if everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to this level a total saving of £520 million a year could be acheived. Even simple measures such as draught-proofing around door and window frames could save £25 a year and replacing old windows with double glazed alternatives could reduce heat loss by half, saving £130 a year.
In addition to improving the energy efficiency of heating your home, insulation of hot water cylinders and heating pipes can significantly improve the efficiency of your hot water system. The Energy Saving Trust recommend that hot water cylinders are fitted with an insulating jacket of a minimum thickness of 75mm. If every home in the UK made this simple energy efficiency measure the amount of carbon monoxide saved would fill 7 million double decker buses every year.
Submitted by The Office on Wednesday 14th September 2011
