So you’re worried about the greenhouse effect but you don’t exactly have it in your budget to have solar panels installed on your roof. Don’t worry, there is plenty you can do to green up your house. For example, is your loft insulated? You might want to take out cheap home insurance if you’re thinking about doing it yourself, but it is well worth it. It’s only a day’s work and a proper insulation could help you save up to 15% on your heating bills! So what are you waiting for? Insulate your loft in three simple steps!

Step 1: Preparation

Before you get started, make sure that all the exposed woodwork is in good condition. Dampness and small holes that indicate woodworm are a bad sign and need to be repaired before you get started. When everything is in order, you can start measuring the distance between your ceiling joists. If you want to go green all the way, you can choose natural insulation such as Thermafleece sheep’s wool insulation or Warmcel recycled newspaper insulation. Both are available from Green Building Store. To maximise energy efficiency, the specialists from this store advise insulating your loft to depth of at least 11 inches over all the roof space, and more if possible.

Step 2: Laying the insulation

You don’t want to step on the ceiling below, so put down some panels of chipboard to walk across the loft. After that, bring all the insulation materials into the loft and roll out the first length between the ceiling joists. Work systematically from one end of the space to the other, and lay each roll into the spaces between the joists. Use a craft knife or sharp kitchen knife to trim the rolls when you need to fit them around obstacles, and butt the ends of rolls together afterwards. If your loft has loads of cross rails or uneven spacing, you can pour insulation granules between the joists instead. In order to allow air to circulate, you should leave a 1 inch gap between the end of insulation material and the eaves. Don’t forget about the loft door. Cut out a piece of insulation to fit over the back of the door, put it in a bin liner or wrap it in cling film and attach the package to the door with tape.

Step 3: Water tank and pipes

If you don’t want the water in your water tank to freeze in winter, don’t insulate the patch underneath it. Warm air rising from the rooms below will help to prevent this. For the tank itself, you can either buy an insulation jacket or tape insulation material around and over the top of the tank. You can protect exposed water pipes with foam tubes that have a ready-cut split along their length so that they can be pushed onto the pipes.

Did you know?

Proper insulation could help you save up to 15% on your heating bills. Insulation not only keeps you warm in the winter, it’ll also help keep heat out during the summer! Invest in your home and you’ll be sure to see a hefty return on your heating and cooling bills.

-Deborah from DebbieDoesLondon.blogspot.com

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