Insulation Advice for Your Home
There are many ways you can insulate your home, to make it more energy efficient, save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Please do check out our full range of ‘How To’ Insulation Projects on the main website which includes:
– Draught proofing
– Ground floor slab insulation
– Solid floor and wall insulation
– Cavity wall insulation including pumped cavity wall insulation
– Under floor insulation
– Insulated plasterboard and fixing plasterboard
– Insulating a loft or attic
– Roofing coverings and insulation
Wall Insulation – External Rendering
We had a scout around for new DIY Doctor Discoveries at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at Olympia this year. We found a few different products we thought you might want to hear more about, including a company called Protherm who offer External Wall Insulation and Rendering. We were impressed by the energy-saving figures they were quoting.
Their external wall insulation is suitable for every type of solid wall insulation to:
– Increase thermal efficiency to improve your home’s energy rating.
– Protect the walls from the elements – It is weather resistant but remains vapour permeable so the house won’t ‘sweat’.
– Reduce maintenance – the finish is UV stable and very durable, the polymer finish won’t crack and is resistant to impact damage. It will not require further painting in the future.
– Improving the look of your home – available in a range of colours and textures, to suit any property from new build to traditional construction.
– Reduce heating bills – Applying external insulated render can save you up to £500 per year on your heating bills.
Protherm Coloured Render
The system is a silicone render that is applied to the external walls and is available in a huge range of colours to suit your own preferences. See the products page on Protherm’s website to see the range.
Their products are supplied by leading manufacturers of external insulation including Weber, Ceresit, Alumasc and Envirowall.
They can be applied over existing coverings and they come with a 10-year guarantee.
Insulation Grants Available for UK Households
Green Deal
We have written a great deal about Green Deal which allows you to have work done on your property and then pay back the contractor through an additional charge on your energy bill. Green Deal replaces CERT in the main part, which was a grant system for providing insulation.
Read more about Green Deal in our DIY Doctor Projects.
Feed-in Tariffs
When you fit a wind turbine, solar panels, or other renewable energy generating resources, you can ‘feed-in’ any extra energy you are not using yourself, to the national grid and be discounted for any power you add.
More about Feed-in Tariffs in DIY Doctor projects.
Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP)
This is basically a one-off payment to encourage householders to fit renewable heating measures like wood-fired boilers, solar heating and ground source heat pumps
Find out more about RHPP in our Green Living Section.
Local Authorities
There are a few grants available from some local authorities, although many have shifted the bulk of the responsibility for helping residents with insulation and energy saving measures to the other Government initiatives mentioned above.
It is worth checking out your local Authority’s website or giving them a call to find out what they offer in your area.
ECO (Energy Company Obligation)
This initiative is funded by the ‘big six’, the largest energy companies in the UK, and helps people who have solid wall properties, some benefits claimants, and some households in the poorest parts of the country.
See more information about ECO on our sister site Be Energy Smart.
More Information from Energy Saving Trust
The Energy Saving Trust offers free, impartial advice on saving energy in the home including insulation, renewable energy, appliance information, and resources on the funding available to reduce your home’s carbon emissions, and improve energy saving.
Check out the Energy Saving Trust advice about insulation and other services online or call them on this national rate number – 0300 123 1234.
More Insulation Advice from DIY Doctor
For more help and advice on home insulation tasks you can do yourself then please visit our Projects Section.
