Onzo

One of the biggest consumers of energy in the home is heating. Whether using gas, electricity, oil or wood, battling with nature to create a comfortable environment requires a lot of energy.

It is therefore obvious that making sure the energy input into making your house warm stays there, and the solution to this is insulation.
The best way to look at insulation is to consider that you are wrapping your home. Insulation in the loft is a simple starting point, and it is worth noting that recommended amounts of loft insulation are significantly more than most people may have.

After the roof come the walls. Here, the only major action that can be taken is cavity wall insulation – for houses that were built with a gap between the two leaves of the external walls (which is most houses built since the 1920s). Houses with solid walls can add insulation on the inside (or even on the outside), but this can be expensive and installation may be very disruptive.

The best known (and with the best known salesmen!) are the windows. Double glazing will make a huge difference, but it has to be double glazing that works well. Cheaper sealed units, fitted to most houses, tend to fail after 10-15 years, which usually leads to misting up between the panes. Older double glazing systems will also be less efficient in preventing energy leaking through the frame and therefore in preventing drafts.

The British Fenestration Rating Council manages an ‘A – G’ rating system for windows very similar to that for domestic appliances. Given that for most people the size and location of windows is fixed, a better-rated window is the best choice. Both windows and suppliers who have been rated can be researched on their website (www.bfrc.org).

The final place to look for energy disappearing is the hot water system, and particularly the hot water tank. If you have a hot water tank (and not all people do) and it is not insulated, it only costs a few pounds to buy a jacket for it. As an added extra, the main hot water pipes leaving the tank (and between tank and boiler) can also be insulated very easily – if they are accessible – saving further heat loss.

Reducing energy loss is one of the biggest changes people can make to limiting their consumption, and should be high on the list of priorities.