Insulation
Insulation isn't very exciting - not like the eco "bling" items like solar panels and ground source heat pumps. However it is one of the first things you should consider when making your home more efficient. There is no point in buying expensive solar panels if a huge proportion of your heating is escaping due to a lack of insulation!
Below are some of the steps we have taken to improve the insulation in our home.
Below are some of the steps we have taken to improve the insulation in our home.
Loft Insulation
As the house was refurbished in the year 2000 the loft insulation was already at modern standards. At 300mm it actually exceeded the current regulations current regulations of 270mm, so we left it as is (Jan 2013 Update - This actually turned out to be an error in measurement, but more on that later). After a few winters however I began to suspect that whilst the main loft was insulated, the small loft space above the back bedroom wasn't, as it was always much colder in that room than the others.
This was quickly confirmed by the use of an infrared thermometer, which is a great tool for finding cold spots in the house (I use this one from Maplin). The ceiling in the front bedroom read 20ºC whilst the rear bedroom ceiling only registered 16ºC.
I went up into the main loft and crawled along to peek through the small hole through to the rear loft. This confirmed my fears - there appeared to be only 50mm of insulation present, but more worrying was the fact that there didn't seem to be any way of getting any more in. The hole was so small that in wasn't possible to get through and add any more. It also begged the question as to how they had got the existing insulation up there in the first place!
I decided that the only option was either to live with it (unlikely given the name of this site) or make a hole in the ceiling to get up there. Whilst the second option sounded drastic, it did have the advantage of giving us access to a second loft for storage.
Following the guide here I set about making a new loft hatch. I was expecting this to be messy as it was the original lath and plaster ceiling, however I had a stroke of luck as it appeared that the spot I chose to make the hole in the ceiling was made of modern plasterboard! This was clearly where somebody had gained access to the loft previously so the hole was relatively easy to make and it answered the question of how the older insulation had made it up there!
This was quickly confirmed by the use of an infrared thermometer, which is a great tool for finding cold spots in the house (I use this one from Maplin). The ceiling in the front bedroom read 20ºC whilst the rear bedroom ceiling only registered 16ºC.
I went up into the main loft and crawled along to peek through the small hole through to the rear loft. This confirmed my fears - there appeared to be only 50mm of insulation present, but more worrying was the fact that there didn't seem to be any way of getting any more in. The hole was so small that in wasn't possible to get through and add any more. It also begged the question as to how they had got the existing insulation up there in the first place!
I decided that the only option was either to live with it (unlikely given the name of this site) or make a hole in the ceiling to get up there. Whilst the second option sounded drastic, it did have the advantage of giving us access to a second loft for storage.
Following the guide here I set about making a new loft hatch. I was expecting this to be messy as it was the original lath and plaster ceiling, however I had a stroke of luck as it appeared that the spot I chose to make the hole in the ceiling was made of modern plasterboard! This was clearly where somebody had gained access to the loft previously so the hole was relatively easy to make and it answered the question of how the older insulation had made it up there!
Insulation and Storage
Loft boards with attached insulation.
Once I had gained access, it was a case of working out how to balance the needs of insulation against the needs of storage. The problem with storage in lofts is that it limits the amount of insulation that can be installed. A lot of people crush down the insulation and then over board but this ruins the insulation properties of mineral wool and risks pushing down the ceiling below. It is possible to raise the height of the ceiling joists using additional timber, but this would have difficult in the space available.
I then stumbled upon these loft boards with attached insulation on the B&Q website. They were ideal for the job as they could just sit on top of the ceiling joists and existing insulation without crushing it. Within half an hour I had a floor that I could store things on.
Knauf Space Blanket
For the other areas where I didn't want storage, I took advantage of a 4 for 1 offer on this Knauf Space Blanket insulation from Wickes. This is recycled glass fibre contained in a plastic wrapping which makes it much easier to handle as it keeps your hands away from the itchy fibres. Whilst this was a time limited special offer, all of the major DIY stores run promotions on loft insulation in the autumn, with the cost often being subsidised by electricity companies as part of their legal commitments to support energy saving, so it is worth shopping around.
(Jan 2013 update - the subsidised insulation is no longer available as the CERT scheme it was offered under has now been replaced by the Green Deal)
If you don't have any loft insulation or just a very thin layer then there are plenty of grants available from free or heavily subsidised insulation which includes fitting. Contact your energy supplier or the Energy Saving Trust for more info.
Whilst there I ensured there was a clear airflow from the eaves to the rafters to prevent condensation.
The final job was the loft hatch. This was made from a sheet of 5mm MDF with two sheets of 50mm Celotex insulation glued to the back. This was combined with a length of draft excluder tape to ensure an airtight fit.
(Jan 2013 update - the subsidised insulation is no longer available as the CERT scheme it was offered under has now been replaced by the Green Deal)
If you don't have any loft insulation or just a very thin layer then there are plenty of grants available from free or heavily subsidised insulation which includes fitting. Contact your energy supplier or the Energy Saving Trust for more info.
Whilst there I ensured there was a clear airflow from the eaves to the rafters to prevent condensation.
The final job was the loft hatch. This was made from a sheet of 5mm MDF with two sheets of 50mm Celotex insulation glued to the back. This was combined with a length of draft excluder tape to ensure an airtight fit.
Hot Water System
Insulating any hot water pipes is vital, not just for keeping the heat in but also for stopping them freezing which is particularly important when they are in a cold loft! Unfortunately for us, much of the central heating piping and the hot water system in our house is located in the loft - which isn't the best place for it to be but the airing cupboard is far too small to fit a decent sized tank in and it would have meant a lot of upheaval and expense to move it. This meant that one of our first priorities once we'd got the heating going was to properly insulate the heating system to ensure that we weren't heating the loft unnecessarily.
When we first moved in the tank only had it's factory sprayed on insulation and a few lengths of pipe insulation on the central heating pipes, most of which were falling off! The first job then was to get all of the pipes insulated. This is a relatively easy job - you can get foam pipe insulation from any DIY store, but try and get the thickest available, particularly if the pipes are in an area subject to freezing temperature i.e. a loft. Make sure that you buy the correct size for the pipework either 15mm or 22mm otherwise the lagging will not fit or will rattle around reducing its effectiveness.
Many people just slip the lagging on and leave it at that, however this often leaves uninsulated gaps between length which can cause localised freezing. It is therefore vital that the lengths of lagging are taped together and along the seem where it opens in order to ensure the insulation is continuous. Once we finished the pipes in the loft we then lagged the ones in the airing cupboard as well. This was because the temperature in there averaged nearly 35ºC which was just a waste of heat! Even with the lagging the airing cupboard still reaches around 24ºC.
When we first moved in the tank only had it's factory sprayed on insulation and a few lengths of pipe insulation on the central heating pipes, most of which were falling off! The first job then was to get all of the pipes insulated. This is a relatively easy job - you can get foam pipe insulation from any DIY store, but try and get the thickest available, particularly if the pipes are in an area subject to freezing temperature i.e. a loft. Make sure that you buy the correct size for the pipework either 15mm or 22mm otherwise the lagging will not fit or will rattle around reducing its effectiveness.
Many people just slip the lagging on and leave it at that, however this often leaves uninsulated gaps between length which can cause localised freezing. It is therefore vital that the lengths of lagging are taped together and along the seem where it opens in order to ensure the insulation is continuous. Once we finished the pipes in the loft we then lagged the ones in the airing cupboard as well. This was because the temperature in there averaged nearly 35ºC which was just a waste of heat! Even with the lagging the airing cupboard still reaches around 24ºC.
Hot water tank
Hot water tank with factory foam (blue) & 150mm of extra insulation
Just like the room thermostat (see heating section), the cylinder thermostat wasn't originally wired up. A cylinder stat is essential - it ensures that the water in the tank is only heated to a certain temperature. Without it the water will be much hotter than it needs to be, which is not only a waste of energy but also potentially dangerous as the water may be hot enough to scald.
Even where they are fitted, the temperature is often set far too high. The Energy Saving Trust recommend a setting of 60ºC and 65ºC, which is warm enough to stop bacterial growth, but is still very hot and risks scalding. I have mine set to 55ºC which is below the recommended temperature, but we use the water enough that I believe the risk of Legionnaires' disease to be minimal, but to be on the safe side you really should use the immersion heater to heat the tank up to 60ºC once a fortnight to pasteurise the tanks and kill off any nasties.
As mentioned earlier, the hot water tank is also located in the loft, and whilst it has a factory fitted covering of foam insulation, this is very thin. In fact the tank was warm to the touch when it had hot water in it, so clearly there was a lot of heat escaping despite the foam. Heating a tank of water and leaving it overnight used to result in luke warm water the following morning.
I initially went to Wickes and bought a tank jacket like this and whilst it was cheap, it didn't fit terribly well and there were lots of gaps where heat would escape, but it did the jobs for a year or two and meant that we could at least keep the water warm over night.
As part of increasing the insulation in the loft I had a spare roll of encapsulated insulation so I decided to wrap it around the tank to create an even thicker jacket taking the insulation up to 150mm. The effect was immediately apparent. The tank took nearly half the time to heat up and water stayed warm in for two to three days at a time.
Even where they are fitted, the temperature is often set far too high. The Energy Saving Trust recommend a setting of 60ºC and 65ºC, which is warm enough to stop bacterial growth, but is still very hot and risks scalding. I have mine set to 55ºC which is below the recommended temperature, but we use the water enough that I believe the risk of Legionnaires' disease to be minimal, but to be on the safe side you really should use the immersion heater to heat the tank up to 60ºC once a fortnight to pasteurise the tanks and kill off any nasties.
As mentioned earlier, the hot water tank is also located in the loft, and whilst it has a factory fitted covering of foam insulation, this is very thin. In fact the tank was warm to the touch when it had hot water in it, so clearly there was a lot of heat escaping despite the foam. Heating a tank of water and leaving it overnight used to result in luke warm water the following morning.
I initially went to Wickes and bought a tank jacket like this and whilst it was cheap, it didn't fit terribly well and there were lots of gaps where heat would escape, but it did the jobs for a year or two and meant that we could at least keep the water warm over night.
As part of increasing the insulation in the loft I had a spare roll of encapsulated insulation so I decided to wrap it around the tank to create an even thicker jacket taking the insulation up to 150mm. The effect was immediately apparent. The tank took nearly half the time to heat up and water stayed warm in for two to three days at a time.
Cold Water System
Insulation attached to water tank stand
It goes without saying that we insulated the cold water pipes at the same time as the hot water ones, but the two cold water tanks in the loft (one for the cold water feed to the bathroom, and a smaller one for the central heating system) presented a bit of a problem.
Many houses have their cold water tanks in the loft as they need to be higher than the rest of the system in order to make the water flow under gravity. They normally sit on the ceiling joists and when a loft is insulated the insulation is normally laid around and over the tanks, leaving the ceiling directly underneath it uninsulated. This is done to allow a little bit of the house's heat escape and keep the tanks and pipes from freezing. It's better to loose a little heat than have a flood!
Unfortunately our tanks are not sat on the ceiling joists - they are around 1.5 meters above the loft floor on a stand. This was done because the hot water tank is also in the loft so the tanks have to be higher in order to supply water. This presents a real problem as not much heat can reach the water tanks and there is a real risk of freezing. The tanks do have insulating jackets on them like these but with all of the additional pipe and hot water tank insulation I was really fearful that these would no longer be sufficient.
The solution was to somehow ensure that the heat from the house reached the tanks. I decided that the best solution would be to insulate around the tank stand to funnel the heat upwards towards the bottom of the tanks. Since the hot water tank and all of the plumbing were also under the stand this would also help protect the central heating pipes as well as further insulating the hot water cylinder.
Many houses have their cold water tanks in the loft as they need to be higher than the rest of the system in order to make the water flow under gravity. They normally sit on the ceiling joists and when a loft is insulated the insulation is normally laid around and over the tanks, leaving the ceiling directly underneath it uninsulated. This is done to allow a little bit of the house's heat escape and keep the tanks and pipes from freezing. It's better to loose a little heat than have a flood!
Unfortunately our tanks are not sat on the ceiling joists - they are around 1.5 meters above the loft floor on a stand. This was done because the hot water tank is also in the loft so the tanks have to be higher in order to supply water. This presents a real problem as not much heat can reach the water tanks and there is a real risk of freezing. The tanks do have insulating jackets on them like these but with all of the additional pipe and hot water tank insulation I was really fearful that these would no longer be sufficient.
The solution was to somehow ensure that the heat from the house reached the tanks. I decided that the best solution would be to insulate around the tank stand to funnel the heat upwards towards the bottom of the tanks. Since the hot water tank and all of the plumbing were also under the stand this would also help protect the central heating pipes as well as further insulating the hot water cylinder.
The inside of the insulation "tent" containing hot water tank and piping
Using lengths of the Knauf Space Blanket insulation I set about creating an insulation "tent" by stapling it to the columns of the upstand. I then taped the lengths together to ensure that there weren't any gaps where warm air could escape or cold air from the loft could blow in. This would ensure that all of the warm air reached the bottom of the tanks.
I could tell that this was effective as I was starting to sweat just from my body heat when I was working inside the tent - even though it was a cold November day!
Finally I removed the insulation from the airing cupboard ceiling which is underneath the hot water tank. Even though we had lagged all of the pipes it still reaches 24ºC in there when the heating is on so this should help to keep the area in the tent above above freezing.
Costs
Insulation £15 for four rolls (special offer at Wickes)
Total £15
Was it worth it?
If it meant not having a massive leak in the loft - absolutely!
I could tell that this was effective as I was starting to sweat just from my body heat when I was working inside the tent - even though it was a cold November day!
Finally I removed the insulation from the airing cupboard ceiling which is underneath the hot water tank. Even though we had lagged all of the pipes it still reaches 24ºC in there when the heating is on so this should help to keep the area in the tent above above freezing.
Costs
Insulation £15 for four rolls (special offer at Wickes)
Total £15
Was it worth it?
If it meant not having a massive leak in the loft - absolutely!
Cavity Wall Insulation
Cavity wall insulation being injected into the side wall
of the house
I had always assumed, like many owners of older houses, that my walls were solid brick. Conventional wisdom insists that cavity walls didn’t come into mainstream use until the 1930’s. As such, nearly all the advice out there points owners of houses before this date straight towards either internal or external insulation that are both more expensive and disruptive to install than cavity wall insulation.
We had therefore started to investigate the options for internally insulating the colder back of the house and had pretty much accepted that in order to keep costs down we would have to spend a long couple of weeks battening, insulating and plaster boarding.
Imagine my surprise then, when drilling a hole for a new outside tap I suddenly discovered a large void in the wall. After poking a torch into the hole it certainly looked like our house was built with cavities! How was this possible – had my builder invented the cavity wall 50 years before everyone else? The answer was much more mundane.
Unlike more modern homes, there weren’t really any building standards in the 19th century, and whilst most Victorian homes follow very similar layouts and designs, the construction methods used vary greatly across the country or even in individual streets. As a result, many generalisations are made in the advice to owners of older houses, such as the statement that Victorian houses do not have cavities.
Whilst this is true for the vast majority of older homes, there are many thousands of Victorian houses out there (like mine) with cavity walls that are perfectly capable of having cavity wall insulation, but the owners simply don’t realise that this is an option to them as everyone tells them that the Victorian’s didn’t build cavity walls!
May 2014 Update - The new house we have bought also has cavities despite being of a similar age. We've just had these filled but again had major problems getting this done. I will write a post about this soon.
Finding an installer
You may have gathered that we are more than happy to roll up our sleeves and have a go at most things however cavity wall insulation is one of those things that is not a DIY job. Done badly it can cause major issues and not all properties are suitable so it is vital to get a professional in for this. The government heavily subsidises installation and there are plenty of companies who offer it, so this should have been easy.
I had assumed that I could just ring up and book a survey - a quick call to the Energy Savings Trust gave a me a list of local companies and some very low prices (the cheapest was only £90). However when it came to ringing up, most of the companies insisted that it was not possible for a Victorian house to have cavities and refused to even come out and have a look. However after a bit of perseverance I did find a supplier who was happy to come and undertake a survey.
The surveyor came and drilled a series of holes in various walls. He started with the front wall of the house; he drilled a hole and then pronounced that it was solid and didn’t have a cavity! Imagine my horror and thoughts of humble apologies, however this was short lived as the other walls around the side and back of the house turned out to indeed have cavities.
Platinum Eco beads - these ones escaped!
Talking to the surveyor it turned out that even if they are present not all cavities are suitable for filling. Often the gap between the two walls is too small or there is a lot of rubbish in the void that would cause problems with damp. I was pleased to hear though that we had quite a large cavity at around 65-70mm, it was relatively clear of rubble and the wall ties which hold the two walls together were in good condition.
He explained that whilst they would be able to fill the wall, they would only recommend using polystyrene beads rather than the more common mineral wool as this was less likely to cause damp issues in older houses. After doing a bit more research I decided to order grey, graphite coated polystyrene beads rather than the standard white ones. These were slightly more expensive (around £50 more) but they have a higher insulation value and you only get one opportunity to fill the cavity so I thought it was essential to go with the highest amount of insulation as possible.
Installation
On the day of installation, two guys turned up with ladders and began drilling a series of holes in the walls. Into these they injected a mixture of beads and a weak adhesive to hold them in place. After only two hours they were finished and gone. All the holes had been filled so well that it took a real effort to find where they had been. In fact the only obvious evidence that they had been there was from the odd grey polystyrene ball that had escaped into the garden!
Costs
Installation £200
Upgrade to platinum beads £50
Total £250
Was it worth it?
Absolutely - the house became much more comfortable as the temperature was much more consistent throughout the house, however we did find that it was a little colder in the bathroom and bedroom at the front of the house as these have one solid wall that couldn’t be filled. We would have internally insulated these two walls if we had stayed in this house longer.
The insulation was also beneficial in the summer in keeping the house cooler, although we found that it did take the house a number of days to cool down once the hot weather has ended.
He explained that whilst they would be able to fill the wall, they would only recommend using polystyrene beads rather than the more common mineral wool as this was less likely to cause damp issues in older houses. After doing a bit more research I decided to order grey, graphite coated polystyrene beads rather than the standard white ones. These were slightly more expensive (around £50 more) but they have a higher insulation value and you only get one opportunity to fill the cavity so I thought it was essential to go with the highest amount of insulation as possible.
Installation
On the day of installation, two guys turned up with ladders and began drilling a series of holes in the walls. Into these they injected a mixture of beads and a weak adhesive to hold them in place. After only two hours they were finished and gone. All the holes had been filled so well that it took a real effort to find where they had been. In fact the only obvious evidence that they had been there was from the odd grey polystyrene ball that had escaped into the garden!
Costs
Installation £200
Upgrade to platinum beads £50
Total £250
Was it worth it?
Absolutely - the house became much more comfortable as the temperature was much more consistent throughout the house, however we did find that it was a little colder in the bathroom and bedroom at the front of the house as these have one solid wall that couldn’t be filled. We would have internally insulated these two walls if we had stayed in this house longer.
The insulation was also beneficial in the summer in keeping the house cooler, although we found that it did take the house a number of days to cool down once the hot weather has ended.