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Only heat the rooms you use
Turn down the radiators or close warm air grilles and keep the doors and windows
closed. But, keep an eye on rooms that are not heated for a long time for signs
of condensation or mould.
Doors and windows
Keep doors and windows closed when the heating is on, but don't block ventilators
or airbricks.
Curtains
Open windows on the sunny side of the house when the sun is up so that the sun can
warm the rooms. Close all curtains when it gets dark.Do not have furniture close
to or in front of radiators. If you have deep windowsills, curtains should sit neatly
on top of them and not cover the radiator.
Filling in gaps between skirting boards and floor
Fill in any gaps between skirting boards and the floor. This can be done with wood
moulding or with one of the fillers, which you can get from DIY shops.
Heat reflective foil behind radiators
Fit heat reflective foil behind radiators on outside walls to keep the heat inside
your home, with the shiny side facing into the room.
Draught proofing
Draughts are one of the main reasons why homes feel cold and cost a lot to heat.
Draught strip windows, outside doors and the loft hatch and fill gaps in the ground
floor floorboards and below the skirting board. NB. Do not cover vents/air bricks
Roof insulation
As much as 20% of your energy bill can be saved by effective loft insulation. If
you have a loft, it should have insulation at least 150 mm (6 in) thick to keep
the heat in. If your insulation is 50 mm (2 in) thick or less, you may be eligible
for a grant. Don't forget to insulate the loft hatch and pipes/tank in loft.
Cavity wall insulation
More heat is lost through the walls of an average uninsulated house than by any
other route. Most homes built since the early 1030's have cavity walls (two walls
with a gap in between) which can be filled with insulating material. To install
cavity wall insulation most people will need to employ a builder.
Solid wall insulation
Solid walls can be insulated but can be a problem to do. It may be worth doing a
north facing wall or one that is exposed.
Internal insulation
Timber battens can be fixed to the wall in order that plasterboard, tongued and
grooved boarding or a decorative wallboard can be attached. The timber battes are
infilled with insulation such as mineral wool. Make sure a vapour barrier is installed
to reduce the risk of interstitial condensation. Remember that internal solid wall
insulation will reduce the room size by approximately 50 mm (2 in) along the side
of the wall. Light switches, plugs, skirting boards will have to be removed and
replaced. This measure is very disruptive if occupants are living in the property
at the time of the work.
External insulation
It's a job for a specialist contractor and you can obtain details from the External
Wall Insulation Association, a list of their members and descriptions of the systems
they offer.
Floor insulation
As much as 10% can be lost through floorboards. If there is easy access to the joists
under the floorboards, you can insulate from below by filling the spaces between
the joists with mineral wool mat or expanded polystyrene boards.
Double glazing
Even draught-proofed, single glazed windows allow a lot of heat to be lost (around
20% of the total heat loss from the house). Heat loss through windows can be halved
with double-glazing. Professionally fitted double-glazing can be expensive, but
if you need new windows, having double-glazing fitted is the sensible thing to do
as it makes rooms more comfortable. Put double-glazing in the rooms you use the
most and on large windows first. Where double-glazing can halve the heat loss through
windows, double-glazing with low emissivity glass can reduce it by a further 30%.
Secondary double glazing
Various methods can be fitted on DIY basis. Cling-film:- attached to the inner window
frame with double sided tape. Then heat is applied to stretch surface - a hairdryer
can be used for this. Will last for only 1 year. Rigid or flexible plastic sheeting:-
attached in a similar manner to cling film. Very durable Second pane:- second pane
placed in an aluminium or plastic frame and fitted either by hinges or runners.
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